Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

या सा निम्नोदराभा विकृतभवभयत्रासिनी शूलहस्ता चामुण्डा मुण्डघाता रणरणितरणझल्लरीनादरम्या । त्रैलोक्यं त्रासयन्ति ककहकहकहैर्घोररावैरनेकैर्नृत्यन्ती मातृमध्ये पितृवननिलया पातु वश्चर्ममुण्डा

Transliteration

yā sā nimnodarābhā vikṛtabhavabhayatrāsinī śūlahastā cāmuṇḍā muṇḍaghātā raṇaraṇitaraṇajhallarīnādaramyā | trailokyaṃ trāsayanti kakahakahakahairghorarāvairanekairnṛtyantī mātṛmadhye pitṛvananilayā pātu vaścarmamuṇḍā

Translation

Möge Carmamuṇḍā euch beschützen—sie mit dem eingefallenen Bauch, die die Ängste des weltlichen Daseins erschüttert, den Dreizack in der Hand; Cāmuṇḍā, die Muṇḍa erschlug, entzückt vom Läuten der Schlachtglocken. Mit vielen schaurigen Rufen „kaka-haka-haka“ versetzt sie die drei Welten in Schrecken; tanzend inmitten der Mütter (Mātṛs) und wohnend im Wald der Pitṛs—möge Carmamuṇḍā euch beschützen.

Word by Word

• yā: she who
• yā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sā: that (she)
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• nimna-udara-ābhā: having a sunken belly/appearance
• nimna-udara-ābhā: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nimna (प्रातिपदिक) + udara (प्रातिपदिक) + ābhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; (निम्नम् उदरम् यस्याः/उदरस्य आभा)

• vikṛta-bhava-bhaya-trāsinī: terrifying with dreadful fear of existence
• vikṛta-bhava-bhaya-trāsinī: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vikṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + bhava (प्रातिपदिक) + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + trāsinī (कृदन्त, √tras)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (भवभयम् त्रासयति)

• śūla-hastā: holding a trident
• śūla-hastā: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śūla (प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; (शूलं हस्ते यस्याः)

• cāmuṇḍā: Cāmuṇḍā
• cāmuṇḍā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāmuṇḍā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; देवी-नाम

• muṇḍa-ghātā: slayer of heads
• muṇḍa-ghātā: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: muṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + ghātā (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √han/√ghāt)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; (मुण्डान् घ्नन्ती/घातयन्ती)

• raṇaraṇita-raṇa-jhallarī-nāda-ramyā: delighting in the ringing battle-bell sounds
• raṇaraṇita-raṇa-jhallarī-nāda-ramyā: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raṇaraṇita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + raṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + jhallarī (प्रातिपदिक) + nāda (प्रातिपदिक) + ramyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (रणझल्लरी-नादेन रम्या/शोभना)

• trailokyam: the three worlds
• trailokyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रयः लोकाः)

• trāsayanti: they terrify
• trāsayanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tras (धातु, causative √tras→trāsay)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• kakahakahakaiḥ: with ‘kaha-kaha’ sounds
• kakahakahakaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kakahakaha (ध्वन्यनुकरण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ध्वन्यनुकरण-शब्द (onomatopoeia)

• ghora-rāvaiḥ: with terrible roars
• ghora-rāvaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghora (प्रातिपदिक) + rāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (घोराः रावाः)

• anekaiḥ: many
• anekaiḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (बहुभिः)

• nṛtyantī: dancing
• nṛtyantī: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Participial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nṛt (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), प्रथमा एकवचन स्त्रीलिङ्ग; ‘dancing’

• mātṛ-madhye: among the Mothers (Mātṛs)
• mātṛ-madhye: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मातॄणां मध्ये)

• pitṛ-vana-nilayā: dwelling in the forest of the Pitṛs
• pitṛ-vana-nilayā: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + nilaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; (पितृवनं निलयः यस्याः)

• pātu: may (she) protect
• pātu: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pā (धातु)
• Form: लोट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• vaḥ: you (all)
• vaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी बहुवचन; enclitic

• carma-muṇḍā: Carmamuṇḍā
• carma-muṇḍā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: carma (प्रातिपदिक) + muṇḍā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; देवी-नाम

Speaker

Garuḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pitṛ-vana within Revā-kṣetra; Carmamuṇḍā/Cāmuṇḍā shrine-field

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cāmuṇḍā with trident, sunken belly, dancing amid the Mātṛs; battle-bells ringing; dread cries echoing; forest of ancestors as backdrop with subtle funerary markers.

Characters & Entities

• Carmamuṇḍā
• Cāmuṇḍā
• Muṇḍa
• Mātṛkās
• Pitṛvana
• Trailokya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Invoking the Goddess who conquers demons and fear is presented as a direct spiritual safeguard across all realms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The stotra continues in the Siddhakṣetra/Bhṛgukṣetra milieu of the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Stotra-recitation for protection; no additional vrata/dāna/snānā instruction appears in this verse.