Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

गृहानुन्मूलयामास वृक्षजातीननेकशः । भूमिकम्पाः सनिर्घाता उल्कापाताः सहस्रशः

Transliteration

gṛhānunmūlayāmāsa vṛkṣajātīnanekaśaḥ | bhūmikampāḥ sanirghātā ulkāpātāḥ sahasraśaḥ

Translation

Er riss Häuser und vielerlei Bäume in großer Zahl aus der Erde. Erdbeben erschütterten die Erde mit donnerndem Krachen, und Meteore fielen zu Tausenden — schreckliche Vorzeichen, die die Welten erfüllten.

Word by Word

• गृहान्: houses
• गृहान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• उन्मूलयामास: uprooted/destroyed
• उन्मूलयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्-√मूल्/मूलय् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिच् (causative) भावः

• वृक्षजातीन्: kinds of trees
• वृक्षजातीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष + जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वृक्षाणां जातयः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• अनेकशः: in many ways; repeatedly
• अनेकशः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनेकशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: ‘in many ways/many times’)

• भूमिकम्पाः: earthquakes
• भूमिकम्पाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि + कम्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भूमेः कम्पः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सनिर्घाताः: with thunderous sounds
• सनिर्घाताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + निर्घात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (सह निर्घातैः = with thunder); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying) भूमिकम्पाः

• उल्कापाताः: meteor-falls
• उल्कापाताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उल्का + पात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उल्कानां पाताः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सहस्रशः: by the thousand; in thousands
• सहस्रशः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/बहुत्ववाचक अव्यय (adverb: ‘by thousands’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha-māhātmya (contextual)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpottama (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A violent wind tears roofs and uproots trees; the ground splits with thunderous quakes while countless meteors streak and crash—an overwhelming sky-and-earth tableau.

Characters & Entities

• earthquakes
• meteors (ulkā)
• cosmic omens

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇas use calamity imagery to emphasize the frailty of worldly supports and the need for steadfast devotion and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named in this verse; it describes widespread portents accompanying the Tripura-saṃhāra episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.