Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

तावद्वृक्षसमारूढां स्त्रियं रक्ताम्बरावृताम् । रक्तमाल्यां तदा बालां रक्तचन्दनचर्चिताम् । रक्ताभरणशोभाढ्यां पाशहस्तां ददर्श ह

Transliteration

tāvadvṛkṣasamārūḍhāṃ striyaṃ raktāmbarāvṛtām | raktamālyāṃ tadā bālāṃ raktacandanacarcitām | raktābharaṇaśobhāḍhyāṃ pāśahastāṃ dadarśa ha

Translation

तेव्हा त्याने वृक्षावर चढलेली एक स्त्री पाहिली— लाल वस्त्रांनी आच्छादित; लाल माळेने अलंकृत तरुणी, लाल चंदनाने लेपित; लाल आभूषणांच्या शोभेने उजळलेली, आणि हातात पाश धारण केलेली।

Word by Word

• tāvat: then/meanwhile
• tāvat: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तावदर्थे (meanwhile/then)

• vṛkṣa-samārūḍhām: mounted on a tree
• vṛkṣa-samārūḍhām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛkṣa + sam-ā-rūḍha (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); समारूढ (PPP of √ruh)

• striyam: a woman
• striyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• rakta-ambara-āvṛtām: covered with red garments
• rakta-ambara-āvṛtām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta + ambara + āvṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); आवृत (PPP of √vṛ)

• rakta-mālyām: wearing a red garland
• rakta-mālyām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta + mālya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Avyaya (Adverb/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• bālām: a young girl
• bālām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• rakta-candana-carcitām: smeared with red sandal paste
• rakta-candana-carcitām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta + candana + carcita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); चर्चित (PPP of √carc)

• rakta-ābharaṇa-śobhā-āḍhyām: rich in the beauty of red ornaments
• rakta-ābharaṇa-śobhā-āḍhyām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta + ābharaṇa + śobhā + āḍhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• pāśa-hastām: having a noose in her hand
• pāśa-hastām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāśa + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहिः = 'whose hand has a noose'

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ha: indeed
• ha: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Unknown (narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-saṅgama (contextual)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young woman perched on a tree branch, entirely in red—garments, garland, sandal paste, ornaments—holding a noose (pāśa), radiant yet unsettling against the green forest.

Characters & Entities

• Woman/maiden (unnamed)
• Pāśa (noose)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa uses striking iconography to signal a liminal, sacred encounter—often indicating divine agency, karmic consequence, or a test of discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse itself describes the encounter; the broader setting remains the Revā Khaṇḍa’s saṅgama/tīrtha context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive, emphasizing symbolic attributes (red attire, pāśa).