Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

श्मशानवासिनीं देवीं बहुभूतसमन्विताम् । योगिनीं योगसंसिद्धां वसामांसासवप्रियाम्

Transliteration

śmaśānavāsinīṃ devīṃ bahubhūtasamanvitām | yoginīṃ yogasaṃsiddhāṃ vasāmāṃsāsavapriyām

Translation

Er verehrte die Göttin, die auf dem Verbrennungsplatz weilt, von vielen Geistern umgeben—eine Yoginī, im Yoga vollendet, die Gefallen findet an Fett, Fleisch und berauschendem Trank.

Word by Word

• śmaśāna-vāsinīm: the one dwelling in the cremation-ground
• śmaśāna-vāsinīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śmaśāna (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsinī (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √vas निवासे)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्मशाने वसति इति)

• devīm: the goddess
• devīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• bahu-bhūta-samanvitām: accompanied by many spirits/beings
• bahu-bhūta-samanvitām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (कृदन्त; सम्+√i/√vṛt? 'युक्त/समन्वित' as adjective stem)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (बहुभूतैः समन्विता)

• yoginīm: the yoginī
• yoginīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoginī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yoga-saṃsiddhām: perfected through yoga
• yoga-saṃsiddhām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsiddhā (कृदन्त; सम्+√sidh सिद्धौ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (योगेन संसिद्धा)

• vasā-māṃsa-āsava-priyām: fond of fat, flesh, and liquor
• vasā-māṃsa-āsava-priyām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vasā (प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + āsava (प्रातिपदिक) + priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (वसामांसासवेषु प्रिया)

Speaker

Narrator (within Revā Khaṇḍa frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhṛgukṣetra / Siddhakṣetra (Revā-tīra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: O King (nṛpa) addressed in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce Yoginī-Goddess in a cremation-ground, surrounded by bhūtas and pretas; the worshipper stands in awe, offering reverence as the deity’s yogic power radiates in the night-lit śmaśāna.

Characters & Entities

• Cāmuṇḍā
• Yoginī
• Bhūtas (spirits)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Devī is portrayed as transcending social fear and impurity, ruling even liminal spaces; spiritual power is not confined to conventional settings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse evokes the śmaśāna (cremation-ground) as a sacred liminal realm rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is detailed; the verse provides iconographic and thematic markers often associated with fierce Devī worship.