Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अमराणां कटे तुङ्गे नृत्यन्ती हसितानना । अमरा देवताः प्रोक्ताः शरीरं कटमुच्यते

Transliteration

amarāṇāṃ kaṭe tuṅge nṛtyantī hasitānanā | amarā devatāḥ proktāḥ śarīraṃ kaṭamucyate

Translation

นางร่ายรำอยู่เหนือ ‘กฏะ’ อันสูงส่งของเหล่าอมระ มีพักตร์แย้มสรวล; คำว่า ‘อมร’ กล่าวถึงเหล่าเทวะ และคำว่า ‘กฏะ’ เรียกกาย—ดังนี้จึงอธิบายตามรากศัพท์

Word by Word

• अमराणाम्: of the immortals (gods)
• अमराणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• कटे: on the ‘kaṭa’ (body/trunk; lit. frame)
• कटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणम्

• तुङ्गे: lofty/high
• तुङ्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कटे)

• नृत्यन्ती: dancing
• नृत्यन्ती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नृत् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• हसितानना: she whose face is smiling/laughing
• हसितानना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हसित + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिसमासः—“हसितम् आननं यस्याः सा”

• अमराः: the immortals
• अमराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्तृपदम्

• देवताः: deities
• देवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; अमराः इत्यस्य अप्पोजिशन्

• प्रोक्ताः: are said/called
• प्रोक्ताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकाले क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेयविशेषणम्

• शरीरम्: the body
• शरीरम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृपदम्

• कटम्: ‘kaṭa’ (frame/trunk)
• कटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मपदम्

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; etymological/gloss style within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Amarā-kaṭa / Amarakaṭa (implied by nirukti; exact standardized toponym uncertain from verse alone)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī dances smiling upon a lofty pedestal metaphorically called the ‘hip of the immortals’; around her, devas form a living platform; a caption-like band shows the words ‘amara’ and ‘kaṭa’ as sacred etymology.

Characters & Entities

• Amarāḥ (deities)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It sanctifies place-name lore: tīrthas are not random geography but meaning-laden landscapes where divine presence and myth shape memory and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Amaraṃkaṭa (Amarkantak), explained through the terms ‘amara’ (deities) and ‘kaṭa’ (body/hip), giving a sacred etymology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse functions as a nirukti-style explanation supporting the māhātmya of the site.