Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

तत्तोयं भ्रमते तूर्णं तापीमध्ये घृतं यथा । कृमिभिः सङ्कुलं पूयं वज्रतुण्डैरयोमुखैः

Transliteration

tattoyaṃ bhramate tūrṇaṃ tāpīmadhye ghṛtaṃ yathā | kṛmibhiḥ saṅkulaṃ pūyaṃ vajratuṇḍairayomukhaiḥ

Translation

Jene Flüssigkeit wirbelt rasch umher, wie Ghee inmitten glühender Hitze; der Eiter dort ist dicht von Würmern erfüllt — mit eisernen Mäulern und Schnäbeln wie Donnerkeile.

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (तोयम् इति)

• तोयम्: water
• तोयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भ्रमते: whirls/moves about
• भ्रमते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तूर्णम्: swiftly
• तूर्णम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), शीघ्रार्थ (quickly)

• तापीमध्ये: in the middle of a frying-pan/heat (tāpī)
• तापीमध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापी + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ताप्याः मध्ये)

• घृतम्: ghee
• घृतम्: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (upamāna)

• यथा: as/like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (comparative particle), उपमार्थ (as/like)

• कृमिभिः: with worms
• कृमिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन

• सङ्कुलम्: crowded/filled
• सङ्कुलम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सङ्कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (पूयम् इति)

• पूयम्: pus
• पूयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वज्रतुण्डैः: with thunderbolt-like beaks
• वज्रतुण्डैः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वज्र + तुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (वज्रवत् तुण्डं येषाम्)

• अयोमुखैः: with iron mouths
• अयोमुखैः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अयस् + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (अयसमिव मुखं येषाम्)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaitaraṇī

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The river’s foul liquid whirls rapidly like ghee boiling in fierce heat; within it swarm worms with iron mouths and thunderbolt-like beaks, tearing and biting.

Characters & Entities

• Vaitaraṇī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text uses intense description to cultivate vairāgya (dispassion) and motivate dharmic charity, worship, and restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The focus is the afterlife river Vaitaraṇī; the implied contrast is with Revā-region tīrthas that grant protection.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly in this verse.