Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

अग्निखुरा ह्यग्निपृष्ठा अग्निसर्वाङ्गसंस्थितिः । सर्वलक्षणसम्पूर्णा घण्टाललितनिःस्वना

Transliteration

agnikhurā hyagnipṛṣṭhā agnisarvāṅgasaṃsthitiḥ | sarvalakṣaṇasampūrṇā ghaṇṭālalitaniḥsvanā

Translation

اس کے کُھر آگ کے تھے، پیٹھ آگ کی تھی، اور آگ اس کے سارے اعضاء میں بسی ہوئی تھی؛ وہ ہر مبارک علامت سے کامل تھی، اور اس کی گھنٹی کی لطیف جھنکار شیریں نغمہ بن کر گونجتی تھی…

Word by Word

• अग्नि-खुरा: fire-hoofed
• अग्नि-खुरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + khura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying कपिला)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयबोधक-अव्यय (particle: indeed)

• अग्नि-पृष्ठा: fire-backed
• अग्नि-पृष्ठा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying कपिला)

• अग्नि-सर्व-अङ्ग-संस्थितिः: whose whole-body constitution is fire
• अग्नि-सर्व-अङ्ग-संस्थितिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsthiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमास (having fire as the state/constitution of all limbs)

• सर्व-लक्षण-सम्पूर्णा: complete with all marks
• सर्व-लक्षण-सम्पूर्णा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + sampūrṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying कपिला)

• घण्टा-ललित-निःस्वना: having a sweet bell-like sound
• घण्टा-ललित-निःस्वना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ghaṇṭā (प्रातिपदिक) + lalita (प्रातिपदिक) + niḥsvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying कपिला)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrating)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapilā Tīrtha

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (Bhārata)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kapilā stands fully emerged: hooves and spine glowing like embers, the entire body suffused with fire-patterns; a bell at her neck rings with delicate resonance; her posture is calm and beneficent, surrounded by a halo of heat and auspicious symbols.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s holiness is signaled through auspicious marks and divine presence, encouraging reverence toward sanctified landscapes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapilā-tīrtha, whose origin narrative features Kapilā’s miraculous, auspicious appearance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse continues the iconographic description that grounds the tīrtha’s authority.