Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

हव्यवाहमुखे सर्वे ते यास्यन्त्यविचारितम् । मातुस्तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा सर्वे चैव भुजङ्गमाः

Transliteration

havyavāhamukhe sarve te yāsyantyavicāritam | mātustadvacanaṃ śrutvā sarve caiva bhujaṅgamāḥ

Translation

Als sie die Worte ihrer Mutter vernahmen, waren all jene Schlangen, ohne auch nur einen Augenblick zu überlegen, dazu bestimmt, in den Rachen Havyavāhas, des Feuers, zu stürzen.

Word by Word

• हव्यवाहमुखे: in the mouth of Havyavāha (fire)
• हव्यवाहमुखे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हव्यवाह + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (हव्यवाहस्य मुखे)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• यास्यन्ति: will go
• यास्यन्ति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (simple future), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• अविचारितम्: without deliberation
• अविचारितम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अ + वि + चर् (धातु)
• Form: अव्ययभावे द्वितीया (accusative used adverbially); नकार-पूर्वक क्त-प्रत्यय (unconsidered)

• मातुः: of the mother
• मातुः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (वचनम्)

• वचनम्: word/command
• वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphasis)

• भुजङ्गमाः: serpents
• भुजङ्गमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुजङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mass of serpents surge toward a blazing sacrificial fire whose flames form a gaping ‘mouth’—Havyavāha—while the mother’s command hangs over them; tragedy is imminent.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Havyavāha)
• Bhujaṅgamas (Nāgas/serpents)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fear and compulsion can drive beings toward ruin; dharma emphasizes discernment (vicāra) rather than rash action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as narrative setup within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; Agni is referenced mythologically, not as a ritual instruction here.