Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

शतोलूकमुखी कृष्णा कर्णप्रावरणा तथा । शून्यालया धान्यवासा पशुदा धान्यदा सदा

Transliteration

śatolūkamukhī kṛṣṇā karṇaprāvaraṇā tathā | śūnyālayā dhānyavāsā paśudā dhānyadā sadā

Translation

They are Śatolūkamukhī, owl-faced; Kṛṣṇā, the dark one; Karṇaprāvaraṇā, whose ears are veiled; Śūnyālayā, who dwells in deserted places; Dhānyavāsā, abiding amid grain; Paśudā, giver of cattle; and ever Dhānyadā, giver of grain.

Word by Word

• शत-उलूक-मुखी: owl-faced (lit. hundred-owl-faced)
• शत-उलूक-मुखी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + उलूक (प्रातिपदिक) + मुखिन्/मुखी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (having owl-face(s), hundred-owled/with many owls)

• कृष्णा: black/dark
• कृष्णा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कर्ण-प्रावरणा: with ear-coverings
• कर्ण-प्रावरणा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रावरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (having ear-coverings)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकार-अव्यय

• शून्य-आलया: dwelling in empty/deserted places
• शून्य-आलया: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शून्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (dwelling in emptiness/deserted places)

• धान्य-वासā: dwelling among grain; inhabiting granaries
• धान्य-वासā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धान्य (प्रातिपदिक) + वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (dwelling in grain/storehouse)

• पशु-दा: giver of cattle/animals
• पशु-दा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पशु (प्रातिपदिक) + दा (प्रातिपदिक; from √दा दाने)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (giver of cattle/animals)

• धान्य-दा: giver of grain
• धान्य-दा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धान्य (प्रातिपदिक) + दा (प्रातिपदिक; from √दा दाने)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (giver of grain)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (adverb of time: always)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bharata interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dark, owl-faced Mother (Śatolūkamukhī) beside Kṛṣṇā; Karṇaprāvaraṇā with veiled ears; Śūnyālayā standing at an abandoned shrine; Dhānyavāsā amid overflowing granaries; Paśudā blessing cattle; Dhānyadā pouring grain like a golden stream.

Characters & Entities

• Mātṛs (Mother-goddesses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Mother is both awe-inspiring and nourishing—she grants prosperity (grain, cattle) while also ruling over solitary and liminal spaces.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific pilgrimage site is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes boons (dhānya, paśu) rather than a rite.