Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

विण्मूत्रदेहाश्च निमग्नदेहा भ्रमन्ति तावन्नरकेषु मर्त्याः । महाबलध्वस्ततरङ्गभङ्गं जलं न यावत्तव संस्पृशन्ति

Transliteration

viṇmūtradehāśca nimagnadehā bhramanti tāvannarakeṣu martyāḥ | mahābaladhvastataraṅgabhaṅgaṃ jalaṃ na yāvattava saṃspṛśanti

Translation

Sterbliche, von unreinem Leib und in Erniedrigung versunken, irren durch die Höllen, solange sie dein Wasser nicht berühren, dessen Wellenkämme von gewaltiger Kraft zerschmettert werden.

Word by Word

• विण्मूत्रदेहाः: men with bodies (smeared) with excrement and urine
• विण्मूत्रदेहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विण्मूत्र+देह (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: विण्/विट् (feces) + मूत्र (urine) + देह (body)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारयार्थ-तत्पुरुषसमास (sense: bodies of excrement and urine)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• निमग्नदेहाः: those whose bodies are submerged
• निमग्नदेहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमग्न+देह (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: निमग्न (sunk) + देह (body)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयसमास (adj+noun)

• भ्रमन्ति: wander
• भ्रमन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• तावत्: so long, until
• तावत्: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/कालवाचक-अव्यय (until/so long)

• नरकेषु: in hells
• नरकेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• मर्त्याः: mortals
• मर्त्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• महाबलध्वस्ततरङ्गभङ्गम्: whose wave-break is shattered by great force
• महाबलध्वस्ततरङ्गभङ्गम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल+ध्वस्त+तरङ्गभङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: महा (great) + बल (force) + ध्वस्त (destroyed) + तरङ्ग (wave) + भङ्ग (breaking)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमास, जलस्य विशेषणम्

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधिवाचक-अव्यय (until)

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• संस्पृशन्ति: touch
• संस्पृशन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+√स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

Speaker

Devotees/dvijas continuing the stuti; narrated within Revā-khaṇḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark contrast tableau: shadowy beings in a hellish landscape reach toward a bright, forceful river whose waves break with power; upon touching the water, their forms become clean and luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Naraka (hells)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha-māhātmya asserts that contact with sacred waters can reverse deep impurity and suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā—her very water-contact is praised as a remedy against hellish suffering.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Touching the river water is the implied practice (commonly realized as snāna/ācamana at the tīrtha).