Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

बभूव नृपतिश्रेष्ठ गत्वा वै देवसंनिधौ । अवोचद्भारखिन्नाहं गमिष्यामि रसातलम्

Transliteration

babhūva nṛpatiśreṣṭha gatvā vai devasaṃnidhau | avocadbhārakhinnāhaṃ gamiṣyāmi rasātalam

Translation

হে নৃপতিশ্ৰেষ্ঠ, (পৃথিৱী) দেৱসকলৰ সন্নিধিলৈ গৈ ক’লে: “ভাৰতে ক্লান্ত মই; মই ৰসাতললৈ নামিম।”

Word by Word

• बभूव: became, happened
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपदी, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• नृपतिश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपतिश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपति + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (नृपतीनां श्रेष्ठः)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• देवसंनिधौ: in the presence of the gods
• देवसंनिधौ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + संनिधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (देवानां संनिधिः)

• अवोचत्: said
• अवोचत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), परस्मैपदी, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• भारखिन्नः: weary from the burden
• भारखिन्नः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भार + खिन्न (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (भारेण खिन्नः)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गमिष्यामि: will go
• गमिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple future), परस्मैपदी, उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• रसातलम्: Rasātala (netherworld)
• रसातलम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रसातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrating); quoted speaker: Pṛthivī (Earth) implied

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Personified Earth (Bhūdevī) approaches the gods, expressing exhaustion from the world’s weight; devas appear concerned; a sense of impending imbalance as she threatens descent to Rasātala.

Characters & Entities

• Pṛthivī (Earth) (implied)
• Devas
• Rasātala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharma declines and the world is overburdened, cosmic imbalance triggers divine intervention and restoration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; it sets up the crisis that culminates in Varāha’s manifestation, which sanctifies the associated tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.