Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

श्मशानवासिनीं देवीं बहुभूतसमन्विताम् । योगिनीं योगसंसिद्धां वसामांसासवप्रियाम्

Transliteration

śmaśānavāsinīṃ devīṃ bahubhūtasamanvitām | yoginīṃ yogasaṃsiddhāṃ vasāmāṃsāsavapriyām

Translation

Il adora la Déesse qui demeure au champ de crémation, entourée de maints esprits—Yoginī accomplie dans le yoga, qui se plaît à la graisse, à la chair et aux liqueurs enivrantes.

Word by Word

• śmaśāna-vāsinīm: the one dwelling in the cremation-ground
• śmaśāna-vāsinīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śmaśāna (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsinī (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √vas निवासे)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्मशाने वसति इति)

• devīm: the goddess
• devīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• bahu-bhūta-samanvitām: accompanied by many spirits/beings
• bahu-bhūta-samanvitām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (कृदन्त; सम्+√i/√vṛt? 'युक्त/समन्वित' as adjective stem)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (बहुभूतैः समन्विता)

• yoginīm: the yoginī
• yoginīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoginī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yoga-saṃsiddhām: perfected through yoga
• yoga-saṃsiddhām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsiddhā (कृदन्त; सम्+√sidh सिद्धौ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (योगेन संसिद्धा)

• vasā-māṃsa-āsava-priyām: fond of fat, flesh, and liquor
• vasā-māṃsa-āsava-priyām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vasā (प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + āsava (प्रातिपदिक) + priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (वसामांसासवेषु प्रिया)

Speaker

Narrator (within Revā Khaṇḍa frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhṛgukṣetra / Siddhakṣetra (Revā-tīra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: O King (nṛpa) addressed in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce Yoginī-Goddess in a cremation-ground, surrounded by bhūtas and pretas; the worshipper stands in awe, offering reverence as the deity’s yogic power radiates in the night-lit śmaśāna.

Characters & Entities

• Cāmuṇḍā
• Yoginī
• Bhūtas (spirits)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Devī is portrayed as transcending social fear and impurity, ruling even liminal spaces; spiritual power is not confined to conventional settings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse evokes the śmaśāna (cremation-ground) as a sacred liminal realm rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is detailed; the verse provides iconographic and thematic markers often associated with fierce Devī worship.