Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

भीमरूपे सुरूपे च महाविद्ये महाबले । महोदये महाकाये जयदेवि महाव्रते

Transliteration

bhīmarūpe surūpe ca mahāvidye mahābale | mahodaye mahākāye jayadevi mahāvrate

Translation

Victory to you, O Goddess—terrific in form and yet beautiful; O great Wisdom, O great Power; O of vast rising splendor and mighty body—victory to you, keeper of the great vow.

Word by Word

• भीमरूपे: O of terrible form
• भीमरूपे: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhīma + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय; 'of terrifying form'

• सुरूपे: O of beautiful form
• सुरूपे: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'of beautiful form'

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) = conjunction 'and'

• महाविद्ये: O Mahāvidyā
• महाविद्ये: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'great knowledge / Mahāvidyā (epithet)'

• महाबले: O greatly powerful one
• महाबले: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'of great strength'

• महोदये: O of great prosperity
• महोदये: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + udaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'of great rising/prosperity'

• महाकाये: O of vast body
• महाकाये: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + kāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'of huge body'

• जय: hail!
• जय: Sambodhana (Vocative address)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: jaya (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बोधनार्थ निपात)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• महाव्रते: O of great vow
• महाव्रते: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'of great vow/observance'

Speaker

Niṣadhādhipati (the lord/king of Niṣadha), offering Devī-stuti

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Devī is depicted with a formidable, expansive body and radiant rising splendor, yet with a beautiful face; symbols of wisdom (book/rosary or luminous yantra-like aura) accompany martial power; the king’s chant crescendos.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Mahāvidyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divinity contains both awe-inspiring fierceness and radiant beauty; power and wisdom are one in the Goddess.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is stuti within a tīrtha chapter; the specific location is not named in the verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The epithet “mahāvrate” points to great observance; no step-by-step vrata procedure is stated here.