Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

गरुड उवाच । ॐ या सा क्षुत्क्षामकण्ठा नवरुधिरमुखा प्रेतपद्मासनस्था भूतानां वृन्दवृन्दैः पितृवननिलया क्रीडते शूलहस्ता । शस्त्रध्वस्तप्रवीरव्रजरुधिरगलन्मुण्डमालोत्तरीया देवी श्रीवीरमाता विमलशशिनिभा पातु वश्चर्ममुण्डा

Transliteration

garuḍa uvāca | oṃ yā sā kṣutkṣāmakaṇṭhā navarudhiramukhā pretapadmāsanasthā bhūtānāṃ vṛndavṛndaiḥ pitṛvananilayā krīḍate śūlahastā | śastradhvastapravīravrajarudhiragalanmuṇḍamālottarīyā devī śrīvīramātā vimalaśaśinibhā pātu vaścarmamuṇḍā

Translation

ครุฑกล่าวว่า: โอม ขอจรมมุณฑาโปรดคุ้มครองท่านทั้งหลาย—ผู้มีลำคอแห้งผากด้วยความหิว ผู้มีโอษฐ์ชุ่มด้วยโลหิตสด; ผู้ประทับบนปัทมาสนะอันเป็นศพ; ผู้เริงรำท่ามกลางหมู่ภูตนับหมื่น พำนักในพงไพรแห่งปิตฤ ถือศูลตรีศูลในพระหัตถ์; ผู้มีอุตตราสังคเป็นพวงกะโหลกที่หยดโลหิตของวีรชนผู้ถูกศัสตราวุธสังหาร—พระเทวีศรีวีรมาตา ผู้สว่างดังจันทร์บริสุทธิ์ไร้มลทิน ขอทรงปกปักรักษาท่าน

Word by Word

• garuḍaḥ: Garuḍa
• garuḍaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garuḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु; वचने)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• oṃ: Oṃ
• oṃ: Sambandha (Invocation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: oṃ (अव्यय/प्रणव)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रणव/मङ्गलाचरण

• yā: she who
• yā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• sā: that (she)
• sā: Karta (Correlative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kṣut-kṣāma-kaṇṭhā: whose throat is emaciated by hunger
• kṣut-kṣāma-kaṇṭhā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣut (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣāma (प्रातिपदिक) + kaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (क्षुत्-क्षामः कण्ठः यस्याः/क्षुत्क्षामः कण्ठः)

• nava-rudhira-mukhā: with a mouth of fresh blood
• nava-rudhira-mukhā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nava (प्रातिपदिक) + rudhira (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (नव-रुधिरं मुखं यस्याः/नव-रुधिरमुखा)

• preta-padmāsana-sthā: seated on a lotus-seat of pretas
• preta-padmāsana-sthā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + padma (प्रातिपदिक) + āsana (प्रातिपदिक) + sthā (प्रातिपदिक; from √sthā)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (प्रेत-पद्मासने स्थिता)

• bhūtānām: of spirits/beings
• bhūtānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• vṛnda-vṛndaiḥ: by groups upon groups (of them)
• vṛnda-vṛndaiḥ: Karana (Accompaniment/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛnda (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛnda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः द्वन्द्वः (वृन्दैः वृन्दैः = समूहसमूहैः)

• pitṛ-vana-nilayā: dwelling in the forest of the Pitṛs
• pitṛ-vana-nilayā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + nilaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पितृवनं निलयः यस्याः/पितृवने निलया)

• krīḍate: plays/sports
• krīḍate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √krīḍ (धातु; क्रीडायाम्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• śūla-hastā: holding a trident
• śūla-hastā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śūla (प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शूलः हस्ते यस्याः)

• śastra-dhvasta-pravīra-vraja-rudhira-galat-muṇḍa-mālā-uttarīyā: wearing as upper-garment a garland of heads, dripping with the blood of hosts of heroes slain by weapons
• śastra-dhvasta-pravīra-vraja-rudhira-galat-muṇḍa-mālā-uttarīyā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śastra (प्रातिपदिक) + dhvasta (कृदन्त; √dhvaṃs/√dhvas नाशे, क्त) + pravīra (प्रातिपदिक) + vraja (प्रातिपदिक) + rudhira (प्रातिपदिक) + galat (कृदन्त; √gal स्रवणे, शतृ) + muṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + mālā (प्रातिपदिक) + uttarīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (शस्त्रध्वस्त-प्रवीरव्रजस्य रुधिरं गलति; मुṇ्डमाला-उत्तरीया = मुṇ्डमालया उत्तरीयवती)

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

• śrī-vīra-mātā: mother of Śrī-vīra
• śrī-vīra-mātā: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + vīra (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (श्रीवीरस्य माता)

• vimala-śaśini-bhā: having radiance like the pure moon
• vimala-śaśini-bhā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimala (प्रातिपदिक) + śaśin (प्रातिपदिक) + bhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारयप्रायः (विमलस्य शशिनः इव भा यस्याः)

• pātu: may (she) protect
• pātu: Kriya (Benediction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pā (धातु; रक्षणे)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• vaḥ: you (all)
• vaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (enclitic)

• carma-muṇḍā: Carmamuṇḍā (the goddess named so)
• carma-muṇḍā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: carma (प्रातिपदिक) + muṇḍā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः/नामधेयम् (चर्म-सम्बद्धा मुṇḍा/चर्मवती मुṇḍा)

Speaker

Garuḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Siddhakṣetra (Carmamuṇḍā/Cāmuṇḍā-sthāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The addressed audience (‘vaḥ’—you all) and the King as narrative listener

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Garuḍa chants ‘Om’ before Carmamuṇḍā: a fierce moon-bright Goddess with parched throat, blood-fresh mouth, seated on a lotus of corpses, trident in hand, sporting among bhūta multitudes in the pitṛ-forest; skull-garland dripping with the blood of fallen heroes; yet her face bears a protective, maternal authority.

Characters & Entities

• Garuḍa
• Carmamuṇḍā
• Bhūtas
• Pitṛs
• Śūla (trident)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The terrifying form of the Goddess is portrayed as protective power: what frightens evil becomes refuge for devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The hymn is situated in the Siddhakṣetra/Bhṛgukṣetra setting of the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recitation of a protective stotra (hymn), framed with Oṃ and a direct prayer for protection.