Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

देवैः सुविस्मितैर्दृष्टा चर्ममुण्डधरा वरा । ततो देवाः स्तुतिं चक्रुः कृतांजलिपुटाः स्थिताः

Transliteration

devaiḥ suvismitairdṛṣṭā carmamuṇḍadharā varā | tato devāḥ stutiṃ cakruḥ kṛtāṃjalipuṭāḥ sthitāḥ

Translation

Seen by the gods—utterly astonished—she, the excellent Carmamuṇḍadharā, was beheld. Then the gods, standing with joined palms, offered hymns of praise.

Word by Word

• देवैः: by the gods
• देवैः: करण (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सुविस्मितैः: greatly astonished
• सुविस्मितैः: करण (Qualifier of agent)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + विस्मित (√स्मि/√विस्मि धातु, क्त; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; देवैः इति विशेषणम्

• दृष्टा: was seen
• दृष्टा: कर्म (Patient/subject in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + क्त (क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle) स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (was seen)

• चर्ममुण्डधरा: wearing skin and a severed head
• चर्ममुण्डधरा: कर्म (Qualifier of the seen one)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + मुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + धरा (√धृ धातु, टाप्/आ-प्रत्यय; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (चर्म च मुण्डं च धारयन्ती)

• वरा: excellent, noble
• वरा: कर्म (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• ततः: then
• ततः: सम्बन्ध/क्रियाविशेषण (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then)

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• स्तुतिम्: praise, hymn
• स्तुतिम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चक्रुः: made, performed
• चक्रुः: क्रिया (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• कृताञ्जलिपुटाः: with hands folded (in reverence)
• कृताञ्जलिपुटाः: कर्ता (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (√कृ धातु, क्त; कृदन्त) + अञ्जलि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कृतः अञ्जलिपुटः येषाम्)

• स्थिताः: standing
• स्थिताः: कर्ता (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्था (धातु) + क्त (क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (standing)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa speaking to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The gods stand in a semicircle within the luminous precincts of Prabhāsa, hands folded in añjali, gazing in astonishment at the fearsome-yet-excellent Carmamuṇḍadharā Devī, who bears hide and severed head as emblems.

Characters & Entities

• Devāḥ (gods)
• Carmamuṇḍadharā (Devī form)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence (añjali) and stuti are the natural dharmic response to divine protection; awe matures into worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where the gods witness the Goddess’s form and begin formal praise, elevating the site’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, stuti with añjali (joined palms) is modeled as a devotional act, though no formal vrata is detailed.