Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

कण्ठसूत्रकसिन्दूरैः कुङ्कुमेन विलेपयेत् । कल्पयेत स्त्रियं गौरीं ब्राह्मणं शिवरूपिणम्

Transliteration

kaṇṭhasūtrakasindūraiḥ kuṅkumena vilepayet | kalpayeta striyaṃ gaurīṃ brāhmaṇaṃ śivarūpiṇam

Translation

Qu’il les oigne d’ornements ou de fils au cou, de sindūra et de safran (kuṅkuma). Qu’il contemple la femme comme Gaurī, et le brāhmaṇa comme revêtu de la forme même de Śiva.

Word by Word

• कण्ठसूत्रकसिन्दूरैः: with neck-threads and vermilion
• कण्ठसूत्रकसिन्दूरैः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्ठ + सूत्रक + सिन्दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वसमासः: कण्ठसूत्रकैः च सिन्दूरैः च (with neck-threads and vermilion)

• कुङ्कुमेन: with saffron (powder)
• कुङ्कुमेन: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुङ्कुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• विलेपयेत्: should anoint/smear
• विलेपयेत्: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; उपसर्गः वि- (to smear/anoint)

• कल्पयेत्: should arrange/prepare
• कल्पयेत्: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कॢप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• स्त्रियम्: the woman
• स्त्रियम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• गौरीम्: as Gaurī
• गौरीम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• ब्राह्मणम्: the Brahmin (man)
• ब्राह्मणम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• शिवरूपिणम्: having Śiva’s form
• शिवरूपिणम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिव + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: शिवस्य रूपं यस्य (having the form of Śiva)

Speaker

Śiva (Śaṅkara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee anoints a brāhmaṇī with sindūra/kuṅkuma and adorns both recipients with neck-threads/ornaments; in the devotee’s vision, the pair subtly radiate as Gaurī and Śiva—human forms with divine aura.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī
• Śiva
• Brāhmaṇa
• Sindūra
• Kuṅkuma
• Revā (Narmadā) Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seeing the Divine in the honored guests (Śiva and Gaurī by bhāvanā) sanctifies worship and charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā tīrtha milieu where Gaurī-Śiva worship and brāhmaṇa-honoring rites are prescribed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Anointing with sindūra/kuṅkuma and treating the brāhmaṇī as Gaurī and the brāhmaṇa as Śiva-rūpa during the rite.