Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

सा परिभ्रमते लोकान् सदेवासुरमानवान् । त्रैलोक्योन्मादजननी रूपेणऽप्रतिमा तदा

Transliteration

sā paribhramate lokān sadevāsuramānavān | trailokyonmādajananī rūpeṇa'pratimā tadā

Translation

Sie wanderte durch die Welten—unter Göttern, Asuras und Menschen—und wurde dann, an Schönheit unvergleichlich, zur eigentlichen Ursache der Verzückung der drei Welten.

Word by Word

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• परिभ्रमते: wanders about
• परिभ्रमते: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• लोकान्: worlds/people
• लोकान्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• स: with
• स: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग-सदृश अव्यय; समासाङ्ग (prefix-like)

• देव: gods
• देव: Visheshya (विशेष्य/Member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• असुर: asuras/demons
• असुर: Visheshya (विशेष्य/Member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• मानवान्: humans
• मानवान्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; (समस्तपद: स-देव-असुर-मानव-आन्)

• त्रैलोक्य: the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्य: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• उन्माद: madness/delusion
• उन्माद: Visheshya (विशेष्य/Member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उन्माद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• जननी: the begetter/cause
• जननी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject - apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जननी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (त्रैलोक्य-उन्माद-जननी = ‘mother/cause of madness of the three worlds’)

• रूपेण: by (her) beauty/form
• रूपेण: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अप्रतिमा: incomparable
• अप्रतिमा: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-प्रतिमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नञ्-समास/नकार-पूर्वक विशेषण (‘without equal’)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine maiden traverses the three worlds; her incomparable beauty radiates, subtly stirring gods, demons, and humans into fascination.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Asuras
• Humans
• Three worlds (Trailokya)
• The maiden (unnamed here)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly fascination can overwhelm even exalted beings; the verse foreshadows how desire and delusion arise when beauty is seen without discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly; the narrative remains cosmological/mythic within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.