Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

विद्युज्ज्वलनपिङ्गाक्षं भैरवं लोमहर्षणम् । महाजिह्वं महादंष्ट्रं महासर्पशिरोधरम्

Transliteration

vidyujjvalanapiṅgākṣaṃ bhairavaṃ lomaharṣaṇam | mahājihvaṃ mahādaṃṣṭraṃ mahāsarpaśirodharam

Translation

Ses yeux fauves flamboyaient comme l’éclair et le feu : Bhairava, dont la vue fait frissonner, portant une grande langue, de grands crocs, et de puissants serpents en couronne sur Sa tête.

Word by Word

• vidyut-jvalana-piṅgākṣam: whose tawny eyes blaze like lightning
• vidyut-jvalana-piṅgākṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vidyut + jvalana + piṅga + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (yasya akṣe piṅge vidyut-jvalana-sadṛśe)

• bhairavam: the Terrible one (Bhairava)
• bhairavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhairava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेष्यरूपे)

• lomaharṣaṇam: causing horripilation
• lomaharṣaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: loma + harṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (lomānāṃ harṣaṇam)

• mahājihvam: with a huge tongue
• mahājihvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + jihvā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• mahādaṃṣṭram: with huge fangs
• mahādaṃṣṭram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + daṃṣṭrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• mahāsarpaśirodharam: bearing a great serpent on the head
• mahāsarpaśirodharam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + sarpa + śiras + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (yasya śiro dhāryate mahāsarpaḥ / yasya śirasi mahāsarpaḥ)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhairava stands or looms with lightning-flame eyes, a great tongue and fangs, crowned with coiling serpents; the air bristles, devotees shiver in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Bhairava (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhairava imagery teaches reverence for divine justice and transformative fear that turns the mind from sin toward dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse serves as a meditative description of the deity’s form.