Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

जज्ञे सहस्ररूपा च लक्षकोटितनुः शिवा । नानारूपायुधाकारा नानावादनचारिणी

Transliteration

jajñe sahasrarūpā ca lakṣakoṭitanuḥ śivā | nānārūpāyudhākārā nānāvādanacāriṇī

Translation

La Déesse de bon augure naquit aux mille formes, avec des corps par centaines de milliers et par crores ; elle portait des armes de toutes sortes et s’avançait avec d’innombrables visages.

Word by Word

• जज्ञे: was born; arose
• जज्ञे: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• सहस्ररूपा: having a thousand forms
• सहस्ररूपा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• लक्षकोटितनुः: having bodies numbering lakhs and crores
• लक्षकोटितनुः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• शिवा: Śivā (the Goddess)
• शिवा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• नानारूपायुधाकारा: having various forms and weapon-shapes/appearances
• नानारूपायुधाकारा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुध (प्रातिपदिक) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• नानावादनचारिणी: moving about with various sounds/music; making diverse noises
• नानावादनचारिणी: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय) + वादन (प्रातिपदिक) + चारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced; exact speaker not in snippet]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king) addressed in the verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Auspicious Devī erupts into a thousand forms, bodies multiplying into innumerable manifestations; each form bears distinct weapons and faces, filling the sky in a terrifying yet divine radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Śivā (Devī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine auspiciousness (Śivā) is not weakness; it can become immeasurably powerful to defend cosmic balance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this line; it is part of the Revā Khaṇḍa’s wider sacral narrative of the Narmadā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a descriptive verse.