Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

क्रकचं तैलयन्त्रं च श्वानो गृध्राः सुदारुणाः । निरुच्छ्वासा महानादा भैरवो रौरवस्तथा

Transliteration

krakacaṃ tailayantraṃ ca śvāno gṛdhrāḥ sudāruṇāḥ | nirucchvāsā mahānādā bhairavo rauravastathā

Translation

Dort (gibt es Qualen) wie die Säge (Krakaca) und die Ölpresse (Tailayantra) sowie überaus grausame Hunde und Geier. Auch gibt es Stätten des Erstickens und des donnernden Gebrülls — Bhairava und Raurava ebenso.

Word by Word

• krakacam: a saw
• krakacam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krakaca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular (as item listed)

• taila-yantram: an oil-press/device
• taila-yantram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taila (प्रातिपदिक) + yantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तैलस्य यन्त्रं)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• śvānaḥ: dogs
• śvānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (वैदिक/छान्दस रूप: śvānaḥ = śvānaḥ/śvānaḥ for śvānaḥ/śvānaḥ; classical: śvānaḥ/śvānaḥ ~ śvānaḥ?); intended nominative plural ‘dogs’

• gṛdhrāḥ: vultures
• gṛdhrāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛdhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; nominative plural masculine

• su-dāruṇāḥ: very cruel/dreadful
• su-dāruṇāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय; adjective qualifying śvānaḥ, gṛdhrāḥ

• nir-ucchvāsāḥ: breathless (ones)
• nir-ucchvāsāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis (उपसर्ग) + ucchvāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (निर्गतः उच्छ्वासः येषां ते) / नञ्-तत्पुरुषार्थ; adjective used substantively

• mahā-nādāḥ: loud-roaring
• mahā-nādāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + nāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय; adjective qualifying nirucchvāsāḥ

• bhairavaḥ: Bhairava
• bhairavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhairava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; nominative singular masculine (name of a hell/terrific being)

• rauravaḥ: Raurava
• rauravaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raurava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; nominative singular masculine (Raurava hell)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय (adverb: likewise/also)

Speaker

Narrator within the Revā Khaṇḍa context (deductive attribution: Mārkaṇḍeya to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A terrifying infernal workshop: a saw (krakaca) and an oil-press (tailayantra) operated by Yama’s attendants; snarling dogs and circling vultures; a chamber of suffocation; distant thunderous roars labeled Bhairava and Raurava.

Characters & Entities

• Krakaca
• Tailayantra
• Śvāna (dogs)
• Gṛdhra (vultures)
• Bhairava (Naraka)
• Raurava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It dramatizes karmic consequences through vivid imagery, strengthening resolve toward dharma, restraint, and purificatory religious life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa’s broader tīrtha narrative; the immediate focus here is on the perils that tīrtha-merit helps one avoid.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly in this verse; it is part of a sequence that culminates in the praise of dāna and tīrtha-prabhāva.