Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

रक्ताभरणसंयुक्ताः पाशहस्ता भयावहाः । तासां समीपगा दृष्टाः कृष्णजीमूतसन्निभाः

Transliteration

raktābharaṇasaṃyuktāḥ pāśahastā bhayāvahāḥ | tāsāṃ samīpagā dṛṣṭāḥ kṛṣṇajīmūtasannibhāḥ

Translation

Sie trugen rote Schmuckstücke, hielten Schlingen in den Händen und waren furchterregend. Nahe bei ihnen sah man andere, dunkel wie schwarze Regenwolken.

Word by Word

• रक्ताभरणसंयुक्ताः: wearing red ornaments
• रक्ताभरणसंयुक्ताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + आभरण (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुक्त (कृदन्त; सम्+√युज् (धातु))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘रक्ताभरणैः संयुक्त’ (adorned with red ornaments)

• पाशहस्ताः: having nooses in their hands
• पाशहस्ताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाश (प्रातिपदिक) + हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘पाशः हस्ते येषाम्’

• भयावहाः: terrifying
• भयावहाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक) + आवह (प्रातिपदिक; √वह् (धातु) उपसर्ग आ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘भयं आवहन्ति’ (fear-bringing)

• तासाम्: of those (women)
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• समीपगाः: nearby / approaching
• समीपगाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समीप (प्रातिपदिक) + ग (कृदन्त; √गम् (धातु) प्रत्यय ‘ड’/‘ग’ = going)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘समीपं गच्छन्ति/गताः’ (nearby/approaching)

• दृष्टाः: were seen
• दृष्टाः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृष्ट (कृदन्त; √दृश् (धातु))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) — विधेय (were seen)

• कृष्णजीमूतसन्निभाः: like black clouds
• कृष्णजीमूतसन्निभाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + जीमूत (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘कृष्णजीमूतवत् सन्निभ’ (resembling black clouds)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra liminal encounter (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kuruśreṣṭha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Red-ornamented, noose-bearing women stand terrifyingly; beside them loom darker figures like monsoon-black clouds, forming a two-toned retinue of red and black at the forest threshold.

Characters & Entities

• Pāśa (noose)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy journeys can include trials—fearsome visions emphasize the need for steadiness, purity, and reliance on dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The vicinity of Ādityeśvara-tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the noose imagery is narrative and symbolic rather than a ritual instruction.