Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

कृच्छ्रादहं विनिष्क्रांतस्तस्मान्मृत्युमुखात्सुराः । तच्छ्रुत्वा यत्नमास्थाय प्रविष्टो हव्यवाहनः

Transliteration

kṛcchrādahaṃ viniṣkrāṃtastasmānmṛtyumukhātsurāḥ | tacchrutvā yatnamāsthāya praviṣṭo havyavāhanaḥ

Translation

بمشقة عظيمة نجوتُ من فمِ الموتِ ذاك، يا معشرَ الآلهة. فلما سمع هافيافاهانا (أغني) ذلك، اجتهد وبذل وسعه ثم دخل ذلك الموضع.

Word by Word

• कृच्छ्रात्: with difficulty, from distress
• कृच्छ्रात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन — ablative; adverbial use

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• विनिष्क्रान्तः: having come out, escaped
• विनिष्क्रान्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + निस् + क्रम् (धातु) + क्त
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन — past participle used predicatively

• तस्मात्: from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन — ablative

• मृत्युमुखात्: from the mouth of death
• मृत्युमुखात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मृत्योः मुखम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन — ablative

• सुराः: O gods
• सुराः: Sambodhyamana/Addressed (Vocative sense in context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• तत्: that (news)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन — object of श्रुत्वा

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव — having heard

• यत्नम्: effort
• यत्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• आस्थाय: having undertaken
• आस्थाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + स्था (धातु) + क्त्वा (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), अव्ययभाव — having undertaken/resorted to

• प्रविष्टः: entered
• प्रविष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + विश् (धातु) + क्त
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन — entered

• हव्यवाहनः: Agni (carrier of oblations)
• हव्यवाहनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हव्य + वाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (हव्यं वहति इति), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

Speaker

Frog (Dardura) addressing the Devas; narration continues via Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-nirjhara / tejas-jala (contextual)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A survivor recounts escaping the ‘mouth of death’ to the devas; then Agni, as Havyavāhana, gathers strength and enters the perilous cascade/spring with determined radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Frog (Dardura)
• Devas (Suras)
• Agni (Havyavāhana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Survival from peril is framed as grace and warning; the narrative stresses attentive hearing and purposeful effort in dharmic pursuits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The perilous water-cascade region on Arbuda mountain—marked by extraordinary heat—is central to the place’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse continues the account of signs and dangers surrounding Agni’s concealment.