Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

इयं च रक्तबीजानां कृत्वा पानं च रक्तजम् । अर्पयामास तं देव्याश्चामुण्डापीतशोणितम्

Transliteration

iyaṃ ca raktabījānāṃ kṛtvā pānaṃ ca raktajam | arpayāmāsa taṃ devyāścāmuṇḍāpītaśoṇitam

Translation

她饮下由罗迦多毗阇众所生之血后，又将那被遮蒙荼所饮的血，奉献给女神。

Word by Word

• iyam: this (she)
• iyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

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

• raktabījānām: of the Raktabījas
• raktabījānām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raktabīja (प्रातिपदिक) = rakta (प्रातिपदिक) + bīja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• kṛtvā: having made/done
• kṛtvā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (having done)

• pānam: drinking, a draught
• pānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

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

• raktajam: born of blood; blood-produced
• raktajam: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raktaja (प्रातिपदिक) = rakta (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying pānam)

• arpayāmāsa: offered/presented
• arpayāmāsa: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arpaya (णिजन्त of arp/ṛp?; causative stem from √arp/√ṛp in usage ‘to offer’) (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘he/she offered’

• tam: that (him/it)
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• devyāḥ: of the goddess
• devyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• cāmuṇḍāpītaśoṇitam: blood drunk by Cāmuṇḍā
• cāmuṇḍāpītaśoṇitam: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cāmuṇḍāpītaśoṇita (प्रातिपदिक) = cāmuṇḍā (प्रातिपदिक) + pīta (कृदन्त, √pā ‘to drink’, क्त) + śoṇita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying tam/pānam-context)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa Sūta (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cāmuṇḍā, fierce and emaciated, stands amid a battlefield of asuras; the motif of drinking the demon’s blood is shown as a protective act preventing further demonic manifestation; the ‘offering to the Goddess’ is depicted as a ritualized presentation of the conquered essence to Devī.

Characters & Entities

• Raktabīja(s)
• Cāmuṇḍā
• Devī (Goddess)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Evil is cut off at its source—symbolically, the very ‘seed’ of recurring harm is neutralized by divine śakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions as mythic praise supporting the chapter’s sacred-place context; explicit tīrtha details appear in subsequent verses describing the kuṇḍa and its fruits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; the emphasis is on Devī’s power and the sanctifying narrative.