Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

एकापि नवधा जाता दशधा दशधा तथा । चतुःषष्टिस्वरूपा च शतरूपाट्टहासिनी

Transliteration

ekāpi navadhā jātā daśadhā daśadhā tathā | catuḥṣaṣṭisvarūpā ca śatarūpāṭṭahāsinī

Translation

ഒരുത്തിയായിരുന്നിട്ടും അവൾ നവധയായി; പിന്നെ ദശധയായി, വീണ്ടും ദശധയായി; അറുപത്തിനാലു രൂപങ്ങൾ ധരിച്ചു, ശതരൂപയായി ഉഗ്ര അട്ടഹാസം ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• ekā: one (single)
• ekā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘even/also’

• navadhā: ninefold
• navadhā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: navadhā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), संख्या-प्रकारवाचक: ‘in nine ways/into nine’

• jātā: became
• jātā: Kriya (Predicative state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘born/became’

• daśadhā: tenfold
• daśadhā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: daśadhā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), ‘tenfold/into ten’

• daśadhā: tenfold (again)
• daśadhā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: daśadhā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), पुनरुक्ति-बलात् बहुविध-विस्तारबोधक

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), ‘thus/so’

• catuḥṣaṣṭi: sixty-four
• catuḥṣaṣṭi: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catuḥ + ṣaṣṭi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (numerical): चतुः + षष्टि = 64; समासे पूर्वपदत्वे

• svarūpā: having forms
• svarūpā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः: स्व-रूपा = having (a) form; अत्र ‘चतुःषष्टि’ इत्यनेन विशेषिता

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• śata: hundred
• śata: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śata (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक प्रातिपदिक; समासे पूर्वपदत्वे

• rūpā: having a hundred forms
• rūpā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: शत-रूपा = hundred-formed

• aṭṭa: loud (boisterous)
• aṭṭa: Sambandha (Qualifier element)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṭṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रातिपदिक (onomatopoetic/expressive), समासे पूर्वपदत्वे; ‘अट्ट’ = loud/boisterous (as in laughter)

• hāsinī: loudly laughing (goddess)
• hāsinī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: has (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (णिनि/इनी-प्रत्ययान्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः: अट्ट-हासिनी = loud-laughing (one)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced; exact speaker not in snippet]

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, though one, proliferates into nine, then tens upon tens, then sixty-four and a hundred forms—filling the scene with repeating yet distinct fierce visages, all laughing in thunderous exultation.

Characters & Entities

• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The One Divine Power can appear as many, adapting forms to protect dharma and accomplish cosmic tasks.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it continues the Revā Khaṇḍa’s theological narrative within the Narmadā sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on the Devī’s supernatural manifestation.