Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

भीमादेवी हिमाद्रौ तु पुष्टिर्वस्त्रेश्वरे तथा । कपालमोचने शुद्धिर्माता कायावरोहणे

Transliteration

bhīmādevī himādrau tu puṣṭirvastreśvare tathā | kapālamocane śuddhirmātā kāyāvarohaṇe

Translation

Im Himālaya ist sie Bhīmādevī; in Vastreśvara ist sie Puṣṭi. In Kapālamocana ist sie Śuddhi, die Reinheit selbst; und in Kāyāvarohaṇa wird sie als die Mutter (Mātā) verehrt.

Word by Word

• bhīmādevī: Bhīmādevī (a goddess-name)
• bhīmādevī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhīmā-devī (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (भीमा च सा देवी च)

• himādrau: on Himādri (the हिमालय)
• himādrau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: himādri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• tu: indeed/and
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/अन्वयार्थे

• puṣṭiḥ: Puṣṭi (name)
• puṣṭiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vastreśvare: at Vastreśvara
• vastreśvare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vastreśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः (adverb/conjunction)

• kapālamocane: at Kapālamocana
• kapālamocane: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapāla-mocana (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कपालस्य मोचनम्)

• śuddhiḥ: Śuddhi (name)
• śuddhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śuddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mātā: Mother (name/title)
• mātā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kāyāvarohaṇe: at Kāyāvarohaṇa
• kāyāvarohaṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāya-āvarohaṇa (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कायस्य अवरोहणम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapālamocana; Kāyāvarohaṇa; Vastreśvara; Himādri-kṣetra (as invoked)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (ṛṣis/saunaka-group typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred panorama: snow-clad Himādri with Devī as Bhīmā; a shrine labeled Vastreśvara with Devī as Puṣṭi offering grain and cloth; Kapālamocana with a skull-bowl motif dissolving into light as Śuddhi; Kāyāvarohaṇa with Devī as Mātā blessing devotees.

Characters & Entities

• Himādri (Himalaya)
• Bhīmādevī
• Vastreśvara
• Puṣṭi
• Kapālamocana
• Śuddhi
• Kāyāvarohaṇa
• Mātā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devī grants both worldly support (puṣṭi) and inner cleansing (śuddhi); sacred places are mapped as stations of nourishment and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Himālaya, Vastreśvara, Kapālamocana, and Kāyāvarohaṇa are listed as prominent Devī-associated pilgrimage sites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

While not stated directly, ‘Kapālamocana’ strongly implies tīrtha-snān and expiatory worship undertaken for purification.