Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

व्याघ्रचर्मपरीधानो मेखलाहारभूषितः । नूपुरध्वनिनिघोषैः कम्पयन् वै वसुंधराम्

Transliteration

vyāghracarmaparīdhāno mekhalāhārabhūṣitaḥ | nūpuradhvaninighoṣaiḥ kampayan vai vasuṃdharām

Translation

അവൻ വ്യാഘ്രചർമ്മം ധരിച്ചു, മേഘലയും ഹാരവും അണിഞ്ഞ് അലങ്കൃതനായി; നൂപുരങ്ങളുടെ ധ്വനി-നിഘോഷത്തോടെ വസുന്ധരയെ കുലുക്കി.

Word by Word

• vyāghra-carma-parīdhānaḥ: wearing a tiger-skin garment
• vyāghra-carma-parīdhānaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyāghra (प्रातिपदिक) + carman (प्रातिपदिक) + parīdhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (व्याघ्रस्य चर्म परिधानम् यस्य) — विशेषणम् (कर्तुः)

• mekhalā-hāra-bhūṣitaḥ: adorned with a girdle and necklace
• mekhalā-hāra-bhūṣitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mekhalā (प्रातिपदिक) + hāra (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त ‘भूषित’—‘अलङ्कृतः’

• nūpura-dhvani-nighoṣaiḥ: by the resounding sounds of anklets
• nūpura-dhvani-nighoṣaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nūpura (प्रातिपदिक) + dhvani (प्रातिपदिक) + nighoṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नूपुराणां ध्वनिः—निघोषः)

• kampayan: shaking, causing to tremble
• kampayan: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kamp (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तः; प्रथमा, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग (कर्तरि)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• vasuṃdharām: the earth
• vasuṃdharām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasuṃdharā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; not explicitly marked in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dāruvana

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva strides clad in tiger-skin, adorned with belt and garlands; the anklets’ roar reverberates, as if the ground itself quivers under the cadence of his steps.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implied)
• Tiger-skin (vyāghracarma)
• Earth (vasuṃdharā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s presence is portrayed as cosmic and awe-inspiring—his ascetic form still carries overwhelming divine power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is moving into Dāruvana (the sacred forest), but this verse focuses on description rather than tīrtha-phala.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is narrative description (iconographic and atmospheric).