Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

मदनेन समं सर्वा मधुना च वराङ्गनाः । ससाध्वसा भक्तिपराः परं विस्मयमागताः

Transliteration

madanena samaṃ sarvā madhunā ca varāṅganāḥ | sasādhvasā bhaktiparāḥ paraṃ vismayamāgatāḥ

Translation

مدن اور مدھو کے ساتھ وہ سب نازک اندام دوشیزائیں، پاکیزہ ہیبت سے بھر کر، بھکتی میں منہمک ہوئیں اور اعلیٰ ترین حیرت میں ڈوب گئیں۔

Word by Word

• madanena: with Madana (Cupid)
• madanena: Sahakarana (Instrument/सहकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन; = with Madana (Kāma)

• samam: together
• samam: Sambandha (Association/सहभाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/preposition-like): समम् = together/along with

• sarvāḥ: all (of them)
• sarvāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; = all (f.)

• madhunā: with Madhu
• madhunā: Sahakarana (Instrument/सहकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; = with Madhu (name) / with honey (context: proper name likely)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction): and

• varāṅganāḥ: excellent women
• varāṅganāḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara + aṅganā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: वराः अङ्गनाः = excellent women

• sa-sādhvasāḥ: with fear; fearful
• sa-sādhvasāḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग-सह) + sādhvasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; अव्ययीभाव: ‘साध्वस’ (fear/trepidation) सहित = fearful

• bhakti-parāḥ: devotion-oriented; devoted
• bhakti-parāḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhakti + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: भक्तौ पराः = devoted to devotion

• param: great/supreme
• param: Karman (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (to ‘vismayam’)

• vismayam: astonishment
• vismayam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vismaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; = astonishment

• āgatāḥ: having attained; came to
• āgatāḥ: Kriya (Predicate via participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + gam (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग; = having come/attained (i.e., they reached)

Speaker

Narrative voice (describing the Apsarases’ state)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of radiant apsarases and divine figures, ornaments and garlands, their expressions shifting from playful charm to reverent awe; hands folded, eyes widened in wonder.

Characters & Entities

• Madana (Kāma)
• Madhu
• varāṅganās (celestial maidens)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion includes reverent awe; encountering the Divine grandeur dissolves pride into wonder.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is directly named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes an inner devotional response.