Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ममाश्रयस्व लाङ्गूलं त्वामतस्तारयाम्यहम् । घोरादस्माद्भयाद्विप्र यावत्संप्लवते जगत्

Transliteration

mamāśrayasva lāṅgūlaṃ tvāmatastārayāmyaham | ghorādasmādbhayādvipra yāvatsaṃplavate jagat

Translation

„Halte dich fest an meinem Schwanz; so werde ich dich hinübertragen. O Brahmane, aus dieser schrecklichen Furcht—bis die ganze Welt von der Flut überströmt wird—werde ich dich erretten.“

Word by Word

• मम: of me / my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• आश्रयस्व: take refuge (in)
• आश्रयस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• लाङ्गूलम्: tail
• लाङ्गूलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाङ्गूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अतः: therefore / from this (reason)
• अतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्यय-प्रकारः: अव्यय/कारणार्थक (therefore/from this)

• तारयामि: I will ferry/save
• तारयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु) [णिच् causative: तारय-]
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद, णिच् (Causative)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• घोरात्: from the terrible (one/thing)
• घोरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Masc/Neut), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अस्मात्: from this
• अस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भयात्: from fear
• भयात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विप्र: O brahmin
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• यावत्: until / as long as
• यावत्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, काल/परिमाणवाचक (until/as long as)

• संप्लवते: is flooded / is submerged
• संप्लवते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्लु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Revā/Narmadā (in a protective, zoomorphic manifestation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A terrified brāhmaṇa amid a world-engulfing flood clings to the tail of a divine being (often envisioned as a protective goddess/śakti or miraculous creature), who promises to ferry him across the pralaya-waters.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa devotee)
• Saṃplava (deluge)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaraṇāgati (refuge) is depicted concretely: clinging to the divine saves one from overwhelming fear and chaos.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā as a saving tīrtha—one who ‘ferries across’ devotees—embodying the river’s salvific mahātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual; the instruction is devotional refuge—symbolically ‘holding on’ to the goddess’s protection.