Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18
कंदैर्मूलैः फलैर्वापि वर्तयन्ते सुदुःखिताः । सरितः सागराः कूपाः सेवन्ते पावनानि च
kaṃdairmūlaiḥ phalairvāpi vartayante suduḥkhitāḥ | saritaḥ sāgarāḥ kūpāḥ sevante pāvanāni ca
In äußerstem Elend fristeten sie ihr Leben von Knollen, Wurzeln und Früchten. Sie suchten Flüsse, Meere und Brunnen auf und begehrten selbst die reinigenden Wasser.
Narrator (contextual; within Revā-khaṇḍa discourse)
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) as the implied sacred frame; waters in general as tīrtha
Type: river
Scene: Emaciated people and ascetics in a parched landscape gather bulbs, roots, and fruits; they kneel at dwindling riverbanks and wells, cupping water reverently as if it were sacred nectar.
FAQs
In hardship, beings return to nature’s simplest gifts and seek purification—hinting that spiritual cleansing remains meaningful even amid suffering.
No single named tirtha appears; the verse generally highlights water sources as purifying supports.
No explicit rite is commanded, but the language of “pāvana” aligns with the Purāṇic idea of śuddhi through contact with sacred waters.