Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

सौम्यासौम्यैः सदा रूपैः सृजत्यवति या जगत् । परा शक्तिः परा बुद्धिः पातु मां कनकेश्वरी

Transliteration

saumyāsaumyaiḥ sadā rūpaiḥ sṛjatyavati yā jagat | parā śaktiḥ parā buddhiḥ pātu māṃ kanakeśvarī

Translation

Möge Kanakeśvarī mich beschützen—sie, die in stets sanften wie furchtbaren Gestalten die Welt erschafft und bewahrt; sie ist die höchste Kraft und die höchste Erkenntnis.

Word by Word

• saumyāsaumyaiḥ: with gentle and non-gentle (forms)
• saumyāsaumyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saumya + asaumya (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (रूपैः इति विशेष्यस्य अनुरोधेन), तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (सौम्य + असौम्य)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• rūpaiḥ: with forms
• rūpaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• sṛjati: creates
• sṛjati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sṛj (धा॒तु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• avati: protects
• avati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: av (धा॒तु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yā: who (she who)
• yā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• parā: supreme
• parā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• śaktiḥ: power, energy
• śaktiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• parā: supreme
• parā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• buddhiḥ: intellect, wisdom
• buddhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• pātu: may (she) protect
• pātu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pā (धा॒तु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष सर्वनाम, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• kanakeśvarī: Kanakeśvarī
• kanakeśvarī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanaka + īśvarī (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कनकस्य ईश्वरी)

Speaker

Garuḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kanakeśvarī-sthāna (Revā-khaṇḍa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī Kanakeśvarī shown in a split or multi-aspect iconography: one side gentle (saumya) with lotus and smile, the other fierce (raudra) with trident and blazing aura; above her, a mandala suggesting creation and protection cycles.

Characters & Entities

• Kanakeśvarī
• Parā Śakti
• Parā Buddhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power expresses both tenderness and fierceness for the single purpose of sustaining dharma—creation and protection of the world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Kanakeśvarī praise tied to the local tīrtha setting (Kanakaprasava referenced earlier).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit external rite; the verse functions as a protective invocation within the stotra.