Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

कुण्डलोद्घुष्टगण्डां तां नागयज्ञोपवीतिनीम् । विचित्रैरुपहारैश्च पूजयन्तीं महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

kuṇḍalodghuṣṭagaṇḍāṃ tāṃ nāgayajñopavītinīm | vicitrairupahāraiśca pūjayantīṃ maheśvaram

Translation

ആ ദേവിയുടെ കവിളുകൾ കുണ്ഡലങ്ങളുടെ ഘോഷത്തോടെ മുഴങ്ങുകയായിരുന്നു; അവൾ നാഗത്തെ യജ്ഞോപവീതമായി ധരിച്ചു. അവൾ വിചിത്ര ഉപഹാരങ്ങളാൽ മഹേശ്വരനെ പൂജിച്ചു കൊണ്ടിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• कुण्डल-उद्घुष्ट-गण्डाम्: whose cheeks are made prominent/resounding by earrings
• कुण्डल-उद्घुष्ट-गण्डाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुण्डल (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्घुष्ट (कृदन्त; उद्+घुष् धातोः क्त) + गण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्तान्त-कृदन्तविशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषसमासः

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नाग-यज्ञ-उपवीतिनीम्: wearing a sacred thread of snakes
• नाग-यज्ञ-उपवीतिनीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक) + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + उपवीतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः; 'उपवीतिनी' = उपवीतधारिणी

• विचित्रैः: with various, wondrous
• विचित्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विचित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• उपहारैः: offerings
• उपहारैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• पूजयन्तीम्: worshipping
• पूजयन्तीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present active participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'देवीम्/ताम्' इति विशेषणम्

• महेश्वरम्: Maheshvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A goddess with ringing earrings and cheeks, wearing a serpent as yajñopavīta, offers wondrous upahāras in worship to Maheśvara; the mood shifts from terror to ritual order.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even amid cosmic dread, the highest dharma is devotion—here shown as the Devī herself offering pūjā to Śiva, the Lord who transcends dissolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa’s Narmadā region forms the sacred backdrop; the verse emphasizes Śaiva worship rather than a named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā with varied offerings (upahāra) to Maheśvara is depicted, implying the virtue of Śiva-worship as a stabilizing dharmic act.