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

Everything appeared aflame, red like the leaves of the kiṃśuka tree. Then, because of the smoke, it was impossible to go even from house to house.

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.