Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

संहारः सर्वभूतानां कल्पदाहः सुदारुणः । एकाहमभवं पूर्वं महाघोरे जनक्षये

Transliteration

saṃhāraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ kalpadāhaḥ sudāruṇaḥ | ekāhamabhavaṃ pūrvaṃ mahāghore janakṣaye

Translation

Da ist die Vernichtung aller Wesen — der furchtbar wilde Weltenbrand am Ende eines Zeitalters. Einst, in jenem höchst schrecklichen Untergang der Geschöpfe, blieb allein ich zurück.

Word by Word

• संहारः: destruction, dissolution
• संहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संहार (प्रातिपदिक; √हृ/हर् उपसर्ग-सं + घञ्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• सर्वभूतानाम्: of all beings
• सर्वभूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-भूत (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + भूत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• कल्पदाहः: the conflagration at the end of an aeon
• कल्पदाहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प-दाह (प्रातिपदिक; कल्प + दाह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सुदारुणः: very terrible
• सुदारुणः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुदारुण (प्रातिपदिक; सु-उपसर्ग + दारुण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• एक: alone, single
• एक: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘अहम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

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

• अभवम्: was, became
• अभवम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पूर्वम्: formerly, before
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• महाघोरे: in the very dreadful
• महाघोरे: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाघोर (प्रातिपदिक; महा + घोर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; ‘जनक्षये’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• जनक्षये: in the destruction of people
• जनक्षये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन-क्षय (प्रातिपदिक; जन + क्षय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Revā Devī (Narmadā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic pralaya-fire consumes worlds; amid smoke and collapsing oceans, the personified river-goddess Revā remains, luminous and calm, as the sole survivor.

Characters & Entities

• Pralaya
• Kalpa-dāha (aeonic fire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse magnifies Revā’s transcendence and protective power by placing her beyond even cosmic catastrophe.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā as a cosmic tīrtha whose sanctity persists even through pralaya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a māhātmya-style proclamation of greatness through cosmological framing.