Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

मृत्युं पश्यामि नृत्यन्तं तडित्पिङ्गलमूर्द्धजम् । तस्य पार्श्वे स्थितां देवीं विमलाम्बरभूषिताम्

Transliteration

mṛtyuṃ paśyāmi nṛtyantaṃ taḍitpiṅgalamūrddhajam | tasya pārśve sthitāṃ devīṃ vimalāmbarabhūṣitām

Translation

ഞാൻ മൃത്യുവിനെ തന്നെയാണു നൃത്തം ചെയ്യുന്നതായി കാണുന്നത്; അതിന്റെ കേശം മിന്നലുപോലെ പിംഗളവർണം. അതിന്റെ പാർശ്വത്ത് നിർമ്മല വസ്ത്രങ്ങളാൽ അലങ്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ട ഒരു ദേവി നില്ക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मृत्युम्: Death (personified)
• मृत्युम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पश्यामि: I see
• पश्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• नृत्यन्तम्: dancing
• नृत्यन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नृत् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'मृत्युम्' इति कर्मविशेषणम्

• तडित्-पिङ्गल-मूर्द्धजम्: whose hair is tawny like lightning
• तडित्-पिङ्गल-मूर्द्धजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तडित् (प्रातिपदिक) + पिङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्द्धज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयसमासः; 'तडित्-पिङ्गल' इति वर्णविशेषणम्

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पार्श्वे: at the side
• पार्श्वे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्श्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• स्थिताम्: standing, stationed
• स्थिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'देवीम्' इति विशेषणम्

• देवीम्: the goddess
• देवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विमल-अम्बर-भूषिताम्: adorned with pure garments
• विमल-अम्बर-भूषिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमल (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्बर (प्रातिपदिक) + भूषित (कृदन्त; भूष् धातोः क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्तान्त-कृदन्तविशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषसमासः (adorned with spotless garments)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator, likely describing a vision to a royal listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Death personified dances in the center, hair tawny like lightning; beside it stands a goddess in spotless garments, calm and radiant amid terror.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛtyu
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Death is not merely an end but a cosmic force within divine order; the presence of the Devī signals that even terror is encompassed by sacred governance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape is the setting; this verse focuses on a visionary episode rather than naming a particular ford.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated here; it is a descriptive darśana (vision) within the narrative.