Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

कर्णाटकी रक्तहंसा षड्भार्या भैरवानुगाः । बंगाली मधुरा चैव कामोदा चाक्षिनारिका

Transliteration

karṇāṭakī raktahaṃsā ṣaḍbhāryā bhairavānugāḥ | baṃgālī madhurā caiva kāmodā cākṣinārikā

Translation

Karṇāṭakī und Raktahaṃsā — diese sechs Gemahlinnen folgen Bhairava; und ferner (werden genannt) Baṃgālī, Madhurā, Kāmodā und Ākṣinārikā.

Word by Word

• कर्णाटकी: Karṇāṭakī
• कर्णाटकी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्णाटकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• रक्तहंसा: Raktahaṃsā
• रक्तहंसा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + हंसा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (रक्ता हंसा) ; नाम

• षड्भार्या: (the group of) six consorts
• षड्भार्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (षट्-भार्या = the set of six consorts)

• भैरवानुगाः: attendants of Bhairava
• भैरवानुगाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; भैरव-अनुगाः इति तत्पुरुषः; विशेषण (followers/attendants of Bhairava)

• बंगाली: Baṅgālī
• बंगाली: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बंगाली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• मधुरा: Madhurā
• मधुरा: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• कामोदा: Kāmodā
• कामोदा: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामोदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक

• अक्षिनारिका: Akṣinārikā
• अक्षिनारिका: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक) + नारिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अक्षि-नारिका इति तत्पुरुषः; नाम

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; exact speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhairava as kṣetrapāla stands central with dog-vāhana; around him six rāgiṇī-śaktis labeled Karṇāṭakī, Baṃgālī, etc., each with regional costume cues and musical instruments; a garland of syllables encircles them.

Characters & Entities

• Bhairava
• Karṇāṭakī
• Raktahaṃsā
• Baṃgālī
• Madhurā
• Kāmodā
• Ākṣinārikā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhairava-centered devotion is expressed through ordered musical lineages, portraying sound as a sacred service (sevā).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Tīrthamāhātmya frame glorifies a sacred locale, but this verse itself foregrounds Bhairava’s musical retinue rather than a place-name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it is a descriptive catalog used within a ceremonial praise narrative.