Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

कृत्तिवासा महाकायो महाहिकृतभूषणः । वादयन्वै डमरुकं डिण्डिमप्रतिमं शुभम्

Transliteration

kṛttivāsā mahākāyo mahāhikṛtabhūṣaṇaḥ | vādayanvai ḍamarukaṃ ḍiṇḍimapratimaṃ śubham

Translation

Vêtu d’une peau, au corps immense, paré d’ornements façonnés de grands serpents, le Seigneur faisait résonner son ḍamaru propice, tel le fracas d’un puissant tambour de guerre.

Word by Word

• kṛtti-vāsāḥ: one who wears a skin (garment)
• kṛtti-vāsāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛtti (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समास (‘कृत्तिः वासः यस्य’)

• mahā-kāyaḥ: huge-bodied
• mahā-kāyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• mahāhi-kṛta-bhūṣaṇaḥ: whose ornament is made of a great serpent
• mahāhi-kṛta-bhūṣaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ahi (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त) + bhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (‘महाहिना कृतं भूषणं यस्य’)

• vādayan: playing (causing to sound)
• vādayan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु) [णिच्: vādayati]
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘causing to sound/playing’

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphatic)

• ḍamarukam: a small drum (ḍamaru)
• ḍamarukam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ḍamaruka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ḍiṇḍima-pratimam: like a kettle-drum
• ḍiṇḍima-pratimam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ḍiṇḍima (प्रातिपदिक) + pratima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (‘ḍiṇḍimasya pratimā’)

• śubham: auspicious; splendid
• śubham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ḍamarukam इति)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate narrative context continuing into Adhyāya 213)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ekaśālā episode (Revā-khaṇḍa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast Śiva in skin-garment, adorned with great serpents, beats the auspicious ḍamaru whose sound rolls like a war-drum across the village.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śaṅkara
• Śambhu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s terrifying-yet-auspicious form teaches that the Lord’s wild symbols (skin, serpents, drum) are marks of transcendence and protection for devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) sacred region in the Revā Khaṇḍa, where Śiva’s local manifestation and fame are narrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is stated here; the verse sets the scene for later emphasis on merit gained through darśana/sparśana of the manifested Lord.