Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

समुच्छ्रितास्तदा देव्यः शतशोऽथ सह स्रशः । त्रिशूलवरधारिण्यः शंखचक्रगदाधराः

Transliteration

samucchritāstadā devyaḥ śataśo'tha saha sraśaḥ | triśūlavaradhāriṇyaḥ śaṃkhacakragadādharāḥ

Translation

तेव्हा त्या देव्या उभ्या राहिल्या—शेकडो, किंबहुना हजारो. काही त्रिशूल व वरमुद्रा धारण करणाऱ्या, तर काही शंख-चक्र-गदा धारण करणाऱ्या होत्या.

Word by Word

• samucchritāḥ: risen up / stood up
• samucchritāḥ: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ud-śri (धातु) → samucchrita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (devyaḥ)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय

• devyaḥ: the goddesses
• devyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• śataśaḥ: by hundreds
• śataśaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śataśas (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (distributive adverb: ‘by hundreds’)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरवाचक/प्रस्तावक-अव्यय (then/now)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: सहकारक-अव्यय (with)

• sraśaḥ: garlands
• sraśaḥ: Sambandha (Associated noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sraś (प्रातिपदिक/शब्द)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (पाठान्तर/दुर्लभ-रूप; अर्थः ‘मालाः/स्रजः’ = garlands)

• triśūla-vara-dhāriṇyaḥ: bearing tridents and boons
• triśūla-vara-dhāriṇyaḥ: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: triśūla + vara + dhāriṇī (प्रातिपदिक; dhṛ (धातु) → dhāriṇī)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (उपपद-समासः: ‘धारिणी’ = bearer; ‘triśūla’ and ‘vara’ as objects borne)

• śaṃkha-cakra-gadā-dharāḥ: bearing conch, discus, and mace
• śaṃkha-cakra-gadā-dharāḥ: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaṃkha + cakra + gadā + dhara (प्रातिपदिक; dhṛ (धातु) → dhara)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (form used adjectivally for group), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (copulative list of items borne)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Hundreds and thousands of goddesses surge upward like a wave—some with tridents, others with conch, discus, and mace—forming a radiant, armed mandala in the forest sky.

Characters & Entities

• Devīs
• Triśūla
• Śaṅkha
• Cakra
• Gadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is safeguarded by many manifestations of divine power; the Purāṇas depict protection as both compassionate and forceful when needed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is the implied holy region whose defense prompts the assembly of the devīs.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a martial description of the devīs’ manifestations and weapons.