Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

उवाच योगिनीवृन्दं कष्टंकष्टमहो हर । अजेयाः सर्वदेवानां त्वत्प्रसादान्महेश्वर

Transliteration

uvāca yoginīvṛndaṃ kaṣṭaṃkaṣṭamaho hara | ajeyāḥ sarvadevānāṃ tvatprasādānmaheśvara

Translation

Er sprach zur Schar der Yoginīs: „Weh, weh, o Hara! Durch deine Gnade, o Maheśvara, sind sie selbst für alle Götter unbezwingbar geworden.“

Word by Word

• उवाच: said/spoke
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular)

• योगिनीवृन्दम्: the group of yoginīs
• योगिनीवृन्दम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिनी (प्रातिपदिक) + वृन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचनम् (singular)

• कष्टम्: alas, hardship!
• कष्टम्: Sambandha (Contextual/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम् (singular); विस्मय/उद्गारार्थे (as exclamation)

• कष्टम्: alas, hardship!
• कष्टम्: Sambandha (Contextual/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम् (singular); पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• अहो: oh!/indeed!
• अहो: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्गार/विस्मयार्थक-अव्ययम् (exclamatory particle)

• हर: O Hara
• हर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचनम् (singular)

• अजेयाः: unconquerable
• अजेयाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अजेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• सर्वदेवानाम्: of all the gods
• सर्वदेवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• त्वत्प्रसादात्: from your grace
• त्वत्प्रसादात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + प्रसाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (masculine), पञ्चमी (Ablative/अपादान), एकवचनम् (singular)

• महेश्वर: O Maheśvara
• महेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचनम् (singular)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrating); internal quoted speech: an unspecified speaker addressing Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yoginī-vṛnda (host of Yoginīs)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A speaker addresses a circling host of Yoginīs, lamenting their invincibility granted by Śiva; the atmosphere is charged, nocturnal, and otherworldly, with Śiva’s unseen presence implied.

Characters & Entities

• Yoginīs
• Hara (Śiva)
• Maheśvara
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace (prasāda) is portrayed as the source of invincibility and spiritual potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Mātṛtīrtha context in Adhyāya 66 of the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it provides mythic context explaining the power associated with the site and its deities.