Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

दैवतेभ्योऽथ भूतेभ्यश्चतुर्भागं क्षिपाम्यहम् । एवं मुक्त्वा क्षिपच्चैनो जलोपरि महामतिः

Transliteration

daivatebhyo'tha bhūtebhyaścaturbhāgaṃ kṣipāmyaham | evaṃ muktvā kṣipaccaino jalopari mahāmatiḥ

Translation

„Ein Viertel (dieser Last) werde ich auf die Götter und auf die Lebewesen werfen.“ So verkündend, schleuderte der Großgesinnte die Sünde auf die Wasser.

Word by Word

• दैवतेभ्यः: from/unto the deities
• दैवतेभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैवत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/अपादान), बहुवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/समुच्चयार्थक (particle: then/and)

• भूतेभ्यः: from/unto beings
• भूतेभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), बहुवचन

• चतुर्भागम्: a fourth part
• चतुर्भागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः द्विगुः (four-part portion)

• क्षिपामि: I cast/throw
• क्षिपामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present/वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

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

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (manner adverb)

• मुक्त्वा: having released/let go
• मुक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• क्षिपत्: throwing
• क्षिपत्: Karta (Agent-participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘क्षिपन्’ (throwing)

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

• एनः: sin, guilt
• एनः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (कर्मरूपे); ‘sin/guilt’

• जल-उपरि: upon the water
• जल-उपरि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + उपरि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; उपरि-शब्दः अव्ययम्; स्थानवाचक (locative sense: upon water)

• महामतिः: the great-minded one
• महामतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महā (पूर्वपद) + मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (great-minded)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) (implicit Revā Khaṇḍa frame)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā declares he will cast a quarter of the sin upon gods and beings, then hurls the burden onto the waters, which shimmer as they receive it.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Daivatas
• Bhūtas (beings)
• Jala (waters)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives explain cosmic order by distributing unbearable guilt into regulated shares, transforming chaos into a manageable dharmic structure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks broadly of ‘waters’ rather than a named tīrtha; within Revā Khaṇḍa, the sanctity of rivers forms the background.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, it frames why waters must be approached with dharmic rules (purity/impurity concepts), though no direct rite is stated here.