Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

सर्वं किंशुकपर्णाभं प्रज्वलच्चैव दृश्यते । गृहाद्गृहं तदा गन्तुं नैव धूमेन शक्यते

Transliteration

sarvaṃ kiṃśukaparṇābhaṃ prajvalaccaiva dṛśyate | gṛhādgṛhaṃ tadā gantuṃ naiva dhūmena śakyate

Translation

Alles erschien in Flammen, rot wie die Blätter des Kiṃśuka-Baumes. Da war es wegen des Rauches unmöglich, auch nur von Haus zu Haus zu gelangen.

Word by Word

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• kiṃśuka-parṇa-ābham: having the look of kiṃśuka leaves (reddish)
• kiṃśuka-parṇa-ābham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kiṃśuka + parṇa + ābha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (descriptive: ‘having the appearance of kiṃśuka-leaves’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• prajvalat: blazing
• prajvalat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√jval (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

• dṛśyate: is seen, appears
• dṛśyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

• gṛhāt: from a house
• gṛhāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• gṛham: to a house
• gṛham: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• gantum: to go
• gantum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• eva: at all, indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

• dhūmena: by smoke
• dhūmena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• śakyate: is possible
• śakyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śak (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (impersonal/passive: ‘it is possible’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced: Āvantya-khaṇḍa narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A city turned uniformly crimson like kiṃśuka blossoms; thick smoke forms walls between houses; silhouettes of people grope and stumble, unable to see paths.

Characters & Entities

• Kiṃśuka (tree)
• Smoke (Dhūma)
• Houses (Gṛha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When destruction born of adharma ripens, confusion and helplessness spread; only refuge in the divine can transcend such suffocation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of the Tripura-dāha narration within the Revā-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.