Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

त्रैलोक्यसंत्रासकरी विद्युत्संस्फोटहासिनी । सप्तद्वीपसमुद्रान्तां भक्षयित्वा च मेदिनीम्

Transliteration

trailokyasaṃtrāsakarī vidyutsaṃsphoṭahāsinī | saptadvīpasamudrāntāṃ bhakṣayitvā ca medinīm

Translation

Elle, qui répandait l’effroi dans les trois mondes et riait comme l’éclat crépitant de l’éclair, même après avoir dévoré la terre bordée des sept continents et des océans qui l’encerclent, demeurait insatiable.

Word by Word

• त्रैलोक्यसंत्रासकरी: causing terror to the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यसंत्रासकरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रैलोक्य + संत्रास + करिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः—“त्रैलोक्यस्य संत्रासं करोति” इति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)

• विद्युत्संस्फोटहासिनी: whose laughter is like a lightning-burst/explosion
• विद्युत्संस्फोटहासिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विद्युत् + संस्फोट + हासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः—“विद्युत्संस्फोटवत् हासः यस्याः सा” (उपमान/कर्मधारय-भाव)

• सप्तद्वीपसमुद्रान्ताम्: the earth bounded by seven islands and oceans
• सप्तद्वीपसमुद्रान्ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त + द्वीप + समुद्र + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः—“सप्तद्वीपैः समुद्रैश्च अन्ता (पर्यन्ता) यस्याः सा” इति; विशेषणम् (मेदिनीम्)

• भक्षयित्वा: having devoured
• भक्षयित्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया

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

• मेदिनीम्: the earth
• मेदिनीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेदिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मपदम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Revā Khaṇḍa narration—likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha milieu—cosmic authorization layer

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī’s laughter bursts like lightning across a dark sky; beneath her, a stylized map of the world—seven concentric continents and oceans—appears as if being swallowed into a vortex of red-black energy.

Characters & Entities

• Trailokya (three worlds)
• Medinī (Earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It depicts the overwhelming force of cosmic dissolution and fear, preparing the listener to seek refuge in Śiva and sanctified tīrthas where chaos is pacified.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding passage leads into Amaraṃkaṭa (Amarkantak) within the Revā Khaṇḍa, a major sacred landscape linked with Śiva and the Narmadā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated in this verse; it is narrative buildup describing cosmic terror.