Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

नमस्ते महिषाक्रांतशरीरच्छिन्नमस्तके । नमस्ते विंध्यनिरते सुरामांसबलिप्रिये

Transliteration

namaste mahiṣākrāṃtaśarīracchinnamastake | namaste viṃdhyanirate surāmāṃsabalipriye

Translation

بھینسے والے شیطان کو کچلنے اور اس کا سر قلم کرنے والی، آپ کو سلام۔ وندھیا کے علاقے میں خوش رہنے والی اور شراب، گوشت اور قربانیوں سے راضی ہونے والی دیوی، آپ کو سلام۔

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नमस्कारार्थे

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• महिषाक्रांतशरीरच्छिन्नमस्तके: O one whose head is severed (in the episode of the buffalo-trampling body)
• महिषाक्रांतशरीरच्छिन्नमस्तके: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिष + आक्रान्त + शरीर + छिन्न + मस्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुपद-समासः (बहुव्रीहिः): महिषेण आक्रान्तं शरीरं यस्याः, (तत्) छिन्नं मस्तकं यस्याः/यत्र (अर्थः: 'whose head is cut off after the body is trampled by a buffalo' इत्यादि, देवीविशेषणम्)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• विंध्यनिरते: O one engaged at the Vindhya (mountain)
• विंध्यनिरते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विंध्य + निरत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; समासः—विंध्ये निरता (सप्तमी/तत्पुरुषः: 'engaged in/at the Vindhya')

• सुरामांसबलिप्रिये: O one fond of offerings of liquor and meat
• सुरामांसबलिप्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरा + मांस + बलि + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुपद-समासः—सुरा-मांस-बलिः प्रियः यस्याः (तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहि-प्रायः; व्यवहारतः विशेषण-समासः)

Speaker

Deductive: A devotee/narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya recitation (speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vindhya-Devī kṣetra (general; Vindhyavāsinī-type)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī stands triumphant over the buffalo-demon, one foot pressing the fallen form, the severed head displayed; behind her rise the Vindhya hills. Ritual offerings—bali tray, red flowers, lamps—appear at the shrine edge, conveying fierce sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Mahiṣa (buffalo-demon)
• Vindhya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devī is the decisive force that destroys entrenched evil (symbolized by the buffalo-demon) and protects sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vindhya region is explicitly referenced, indicating a Śākta sacred geography associated with Devī’s presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse references bali offerings (including surā and māṃsa), reflecting certain Śākta ritual streams; it is descriptive rather than a direct command.