Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

कीदृक्कालं महाभाग क्षपिष्यामोऽथ सुव्रत । अनावृष्टिहतं सर्वं सीदते सचराचरम्

Transliteration

kīdṛkkālaṃ mahābhāga kṣapiṣyāmo'tha suvrata | anāvṛṣṭihataṃ sarvaṃ sīdate sacarācaram

Translation

«أيَّ زمانٍ علينا أن نحتمل، أيها المبارك، أيها صاحبُ النذر الحسن؟ لقد ضُرب كلُّ شيءٍ بانقطاع المطر؛ فالعالم كلُّه، المتحرّك والساكن، يهوِي إلى الهلاك».

Word by Word

• kīdṛk: what kind of
• kīdṛk: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kīdṛś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रयोगः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; प्रश्नविशेषणम्

• kālam: time/period
• kālam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• mahābhāga: O greatly fortunate one
• mahābhāga: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + bhāga (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्

• kṣapiṣyāmaḥ: shall we pass/spend (time)
• kṣapiṣyāmaḥ: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣap (धातु √क्षप्)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

• atha: then/now
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अनुक्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/now)

• suvrata: O one of good vows
• suvrata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su + vrata (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्

• an-āvṛṣṭi-hatam: struck by lack of rain
• an-āvṛṣṭi-hatam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an + āvṛṣṭi + hata (प्रातिपदिकानि; hata = √हन् + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; नञ्-समास; विशेषणम्

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• sīdate: is afflicted / languishes
• sīdate: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sad (धातु √सद्)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• sa-carācaram: with all moving and unmoving beings
• sa-carācaram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + cara + acara (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (चर+अचर = moving and non-moving)

Speaker

The gathered sages (ṛṣis)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic depiction of drought: cracked fields, animals weakened, trees leafless; in the foreground, supplicants ask the sage what time they must endure.

Characters & Entities

• All beings (sacarācara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Calamity is shared by all life; dharma calls for timely, wise action that preserves beings and supports sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in the verse; the narrative context builds toward Revā/Narmadā as the sustaining sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse describes anāvṛṣṭi as the cause of suffering.