Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

हरिता धूसरा धूम्राः कर्बुरा पीतलोहिताः । चित्रवर्णा विचित्रांगाश्चित्रलीला मदोत्कटाः

Transliteration

haritā dhūsarā dhūmrāḥ karburā pītalohitāḥ | citravarṇā vicitrāṃgāścitralīlā madotkaṭāḥ

Translation

Les uns étaient verts, les autres cendrés, d’autres encore couleur de fumée; certains tachetés, d’autres jaune‑rouge; aux teintes bigarrées et aux membres prodigieux, ils se livraient à d’étranges jeux, farouches d’une ardeur enivrante.

Word by Word

• haritāḥ: green
• haritāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: harita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• dhūsarāḥ: grey
• dhūsarāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhūsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• dhūmrāḥ: smoky/ash-coloured
• dhūmrāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhūmra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• karburāḥ: spotted/variegated
• karburāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karbura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• pīta-lohitāḥ: yellow and red
• pīta-lohitāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīta (प्रातिपदिक) + lohita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (copulative)

• citra-varṇāḥ: of varied colours
• citra-varṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (variegated in colour)

• vi-citrāṅgāḥ: with wondrous limbs
• vi-citrāṅgāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi (उपसर्ग) + citra (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (having strange/varied limbs)

• citra-līlāḥ: of strange play/acts
• citra-līlāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक) + līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय

• mada-utkaṭāḥ: fierce with intoxication/pride
• mada-utkaṭāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mada (प्रातिपदिक) + utkaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (intense with intoxication/pride)

Speaker

Narrator (context not specified in snippet; likely a purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A surging host of uncanny beings in a twilight haze: bodies and limbs of many hues—green, ash, smoke-grey, mottled, yellow-red—moving in intoxicated frenzy, performing strange, chaotic gestures as if in a wild procession or pre-battle dance.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma recognizes the many modes of divine energy—terrifying, playful, and awe-inspiring—within the larger sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is identified in this descriptive verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.