Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 154

Devanagari script

कौसुम्भे वाससी शुभ्रे अतसीपुष्पसन्निभे । परिधाप्य तां प्रतिमां दम्पती रविसंख्यया

Transliteration

kausumbhe vāsasī śubhre atasīpuṣpasannibhe | paridhāpya tāṃ pratimāṃ dampatī ravisaṃkhyayā

Translation

Revêtant cette image divine de vêtements kausumbha, purs et de bon augure, semblables aux fleurs d’atasi (lin), le couple doit parer l’icône comme il convient, selon le compte prescrit par la tradition.

Word by Word

• kausumbhe: in/with safflower-colored (cloth)
• kausumbhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kausumbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (vāsasī)

• vāsasī: two garments
• vāsasī: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, द्विवचनम् (dual); here object of paridhāpya (acc. dual)

• śubhre: white/bright
• śubhre: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचनम्; विशेषणम् (vāsasī)

• atasīpuṣpasannibhe: resembling flax-flowers
• atasīpuṣpasannibhe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atasī (प्रातिपदिक) + puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + sannibha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः: अतसीपुष्पस्य सन्निभम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचनम्; विशेषणम् (vāsasī)

• paridhāpya: having clothed (them)
• paridhāpya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pari- + dhā (√धा धातु) + णिच् (causative) + ल्यप् (क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
• Form: ल्यपन्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; ‘having caused to be put on / having clothed’

• tām: that (her/it)
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• pratimām: the image/idol
• pratimām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratimā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनम्

• dampatī: the couple (husband and wife)
• dampatī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dampatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (collective/dual sense), प्रथमा विभक्ति, द्विवचनम्

• ravisaṃkhyayā: by the count of days (lit. by sun-number)
• ravisaṃkhyayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ravi (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः: रविणा संख्यया), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced: Āvantya Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mādhūkāvāsa (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The icon is being draped in bright kausumbha cloth, pale and luminous like flax blossoms; a husband and wife stand together, carefully arranging folds, while a priest indicates the correct count/sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• pratimā (icon)
• dampatī (ritual couple)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion becomes complete when worship is performed with purity, beauty, and disciplined observance—adorning the deity is part of honoring divine presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa context situates the practice in the sacred sphere of Revā (Narmadā) and its tīrthas, though this verse itself focuses on ritual adornment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Clothing the deity’s image in auspicious kausumbha garments, performed by the couple, following a stated numerical rule (ravisaṃkhyā).