Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

हरिता धूसरा धूम्राः कर्बुरा पीतलोहिताः । चित्रवर्णा विचित्रांगाश्चित्रलीला मदोत्कटाः

Transliteration

haritā dhūsarā dhūmrāḥ karburā pītalohitāḥ | citravarṇā vicitrāṃgāścitralīlā madotkaṭāḥ

Translation

Kẻ thì xanh, kẻ thì xám tro, kẻ như khói; kẻ lốm đốm, kẻ vàng pha đỏ. Muôn sắc rực rỡ, thân chi thể kỳ diệu—bày những trò lạ lùng, dữ dội bởi men say của nhiệt lực cuồng dâng.

Word by Word

• haritāḥ: green
• haritāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: harita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• dhūsarāḥ: grey
• dhūsarāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhūsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• dhūmrāḥ: smoky/ash-coloured
• dhūmrāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhūmra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• karburāḥ: spotted/variegated
• karburāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karbura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• pīta-lohitāḥ: yellow and red
• pīta-lohitāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīta (प्रातिपदिक) + lohita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (copulative)

• citra-varṇāḥ: of varied colours
• citra-varṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (variegated in colour)

• vi-citrāṅgāḥ: with wondrous limbs
• vi-citrāṅgāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi (उपसर्ग) + citra (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (having strange/varied limbs)

• citra-līlāḥ: of strange play/acts
• citra-līlāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक) + līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय

• mada-utkaṭāḥ: fierce with intoxication/pride
• mada-utkaṭāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mada (प्रातिपदिक) + utkaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (intense with intoxication/pride)

Speaker

Narrator (context not specified in snippet; likely a purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A surging host of uncanny beings in a twilight haze: bodies and limbs of many hues—green, ash, smoke-grey, mottled, yellow-red—moving in intoxicated frenzy, performing strange, chaotic gestures as if in a wild procession or pre-battle dance.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma recognizes the many modes of divine energy—terrifying, playful, and awe-inspiring—within the larger sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is identified in this descriptive verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.