Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

नमस्ते महिषाक्रांतशरीरच्छिन्नमस्तके । नमस्ते विंध्यनिरते सुरामांसबलिप्रिये

Transliteration

namaste mahiṣākrāṃtaśarīracchinnamastake | namaste viṃdhyanirate surāmāṃsabalipriye

Translation

Ehrerbietung Dir, die den Büffeldämon niedertrat und ihm das Haupt abtrennte. Ehrerbietung Dir, die im Vindhya-Gebiet weilt und Wohlgefallen findet an Opfergaben von Trank, Fleisch und heiligen Oblationen.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नमस्कारार्थे

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• महिषाक्रांतशरीरच्छिन्नमस्तके: O one whose head is severed (in the episode of the buffalo-trampling body)
• महिषाक्रांतशरीरच्छिन्नमस्तके: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिष + आक्रान्त + शरीर + छिन्न + मस्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुपद-समासः (बहुव्रीहिः): महिषेण आक्रान्तं शरीरं यस्याः, (तत्) छिन्नं मस्तकं यस्याः/यत्र (अर्थः: 'whose head is cut off after the body is trampled by a buffalo' इत्यादि, देवीविशेषणम्)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• विंध्यनिरते: O one engaged at the Vindhya (mountain)
• विंध्यनिरते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विंध्य + निरत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; समासः—विंध्ये निरता (सप्तमी/तत्पुरुषः: 'engaged in/at the Vindhya')

• सुरामांसबलिप्रिये: O one fond of offerings of liquor and meat
• सुरामांसबलिप्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरा + मांस + बलि + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुपद-समासः—सुरा-मांस-बलिः प्रियः यस्याः (तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहि-प्रायः; व्यवहारतः विशेषण-समासः)

Speaker

Deductive: A devotee/narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya recitation (speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vindhya-Devī kṣetra (general; Vindhyavāsinī-type)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī stands triumphant over the buffalo-demon, one foot pressing the fallen form, the severed head displayed; behind her rise the Vindhya hills. Ritual offerings—bali tray, red flowers, lamps—appear at the shrine edge, conveying fierce sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Mahiṣa (buffalo-demon)
• Vindhya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devī is the decisive force that destroys entrenched evil (symbolized by the buffalo-demon) and protects sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vindhya region is explicitly referenced, indicating a Śākta sacred geography associated with Devī’s presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse references bali offerings (including surā and māṃsa), reflecting certain Śākta ritual streams; it is descriptive rather than a direct command.