Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

मदनेन समं सर्वा मधुना च वराङ्गनाः । ससाध्वसा भक्तिपराः परं विस्मयमागताः

Transliteration

madanena samaṃ sarvā madhunā ca varāṅganāḥ | sasādhvasā bhaktiparāḥ paraṃ vismayamāgatāḥ

Translation

Toutes ces jeunes femmes exquises—avec Madana et Madhu—remplies d’une sainte crainte révérencielle et vouées à la bhakti, furent saisies d’un émerveillement suprême.

Word by Word

• madanena: with Madana (Cupid)
• madanena: Sahakarana (Instrument/सहकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन; = with Madana (Kāma)

• samam: together
• samam: Sambandha (Association/सहभाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/preposition-like): समम् = together/along with

• sarvāḥ: all (of them)
• sarvāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; = all (f.)

• madhunā: with Madhu
• madhunā: Sahakarana (Instrument/सहकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; = with Madhu (name) / with honey (context: proper name likely)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction): and

• varāṅganāḥ: excellent women
• varāṅganāḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara + aṅganā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: वराः अङ्गनाः = excellent women

• sa-sādhvasāḥ: with fear; fearful
• sa-sādhvasāḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग-सह) + sādhvasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; अव्ययीभाव: ‘साध्वस’ (fear/trepidation) सहित = fearful

• bhakti-parāḥ: devotion-oriented; devoted
• bhakti-parāḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhakti + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: भक्तौ पराः = devoted to devotion

• param: great/supreme
• param: Karman (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (to ‘vismayam’)

• vismayam: astonishment
• vismayam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vismaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; = astonishment

• āgatāḥ: having attained; came to
• āgatāḥ: Kriya (Predicate via participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + gam (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग; = having come/attained (i.e., they reached)

Speaker

Narrative voice (describing the Apsarases’ state)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of radiant apsarases and divine figures, ornaments and garlands, their expressions shifting from playful charm to reverent awe; hands folded, eyes widened in wonder.

Characters & Entities

• Madana (Kāma)
• Madhu
• varāṅganās (celestial maidens)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion includes reverent awe; encountering the Divine grandeur dissolves pride into wonder.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is directly named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes an inner devotional response.