Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

दृष्टा भीतौ परामार्तिगतौ तत्र महापथि । नरको रौरवस्तत्र महारौरव एव च

Transliteration

dṛṣṭā bhītau parāmārtigatau tatra mahāpathi | narako rauravastatra mahāraurava eva ca

Translation

Auf jenem großen Weg (des Jenseits) sah man sie—von Furcht ergriffen und von Schmerz überwältigt. Dort erschien die Hölle namens Raurava, und ebenso Mahāraurava.

Word by Word

• dṛṣṭā: seen
• dṛṣṭā: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेषण-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु √दृश्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (she/it) seen / having been seen

• bhītau: (two) frightened
• bhītau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhīta (प्रातिपदिक; √भी + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; विशेषण (two frightened)

• parama-ārti-gatau: having fallen into extreme anguish
• parama-ārti-gatau: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + ārti (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (प्रातिपदिक; √गम् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (having reached extreme distress)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (there)

• mahāpathi: on the great road
• mahāpathi: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahāpatha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• narakaḥ: hell (a hell)
• narakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• rauravaḥ: Raurava (a hell)
• rauravaḥ: Apposition (Viśeṣya/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raurava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नरकविशेषः

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (there)

• mahā-rauravaḥ: Mahāraurava (a hell)
• mahā-rauravaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + raurava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (great Raurava)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (just/indeed)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (and)

Speaker

Narrator

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dark ‘great road’ with guardians and winds of fear; two travelers appear terrified; ahead open the infernal realms labeled Raurava and Mahāraurava—fiery pits and roaring lamentations.

Characters & Entities

• Mahāpatha (great path)
• Raurava
• Mahāraurava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa teaches through stark vision: fear and anguish on the post-mortem path are the natural outcome of adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

By contrast, the Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas are implied as refuges from such post-mortem terrors.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it continues the descriptive enumeration of afterlife regions.