Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

हाहारवाक्रन्दितनिस्वनैश्च प्रभिन्नरथ्यागृहगोपुरैश्च । बभूव घोरा धरणी समन्तात्कपालकोशाकुलकर्बुराङ्गी

Transliteration

hāhāravākranditanisvanaiśca prabhinnarathyāgṛhagopuraiśca | babhūva ghorā dharaṇī samantātkapālakośākulakarburāṅgī

Translation

Mit dem Getöse der «hā hā!»-Rufe und des Wehklagens, und als Straßen, Häuser und Tortürme zerbarsten, wurde die Erde überall schrecklich—gesprenkelt und von Schädelhaufen übersät.

Word by Word

• हाहा-रव-आक्रन्दित-निस्वनैः: by the sounds of ‘hā hā’ cries and wailing
• हाहा-रव-आक्रन्दित-निस्वनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हाहा (अव्यय/उद्गार) + रव (प्रातिपदिक) + आक्रन्दित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त) + निस्वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; समासः बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (हाहा-रव-आक्रन्दितानां निस्वनाः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• प्रभिन्न-रथ्या-गृह-गोपुरैः: by the shattered streets, houses, and gateways
• प्रभिन्न-रथ्या-गृह-गोपुरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र + भिद् (धातु) → प्रभिन्न (कृदन्त, क्त) + रथ्या (प्रातिपदिक) + गृह (प्रातिपदिक) + गोपुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; समासः इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (रथ्याश्च गृहाणि च गोपुराणि च) विशेषणम् ‘प्रभिन्न’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपदम्

• घोरा: terrible, dreadful
• घोरा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (धरणी)

• धरणी: the earth
• धरणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• समन्तात्: from all sides, all around
• समन्तात्: Desha (Spatial adverbial/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्तात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अपादानार्थक/देशवाचक (ablatival adverb: ‘from/at all sides’)

• कपाल-कोश-आकुल-कर्बुर-अङ्गी: whose body was mottled and crowded with skull-cases
• कपाल-कोश-आकुल-कर्बुर-अङ्गी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कपाल (प्रातिपदिक) + कोश (प्रातिपदिक) + आकुल (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्बुर (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्गिन्/अङ्गी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समासः (कपालकोशैः आकुलं कर्बुरं अङ्गं यस्याः सा) विशेषणम् (धरणी)

Speaker

Deductive (Revā Khaṇḍa narrative voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa relating the account)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devastated cityscape: cracked streets, collapsed houses and gate-towers; people wail ‘hā hā’; the earth is mottled with dark stains and piled skulls; smoke and dust obscure the horizon.

Characters & Entities

• Earth (Dharaṇī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly structures are fragile; when cosmic justice moves, even fortified cities and pride collapse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears; the verse is a scene-setting description within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.