Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

हाहारवाक्रन्दितनिस्वनैश्च प्रभिन्नरथ्यागृहगोपुरैश्च । बभूव घोरा धरणी समन्तात्कपालकोशाकुलकर्बुराङ्गी

Transliteration

hāhāravākranditanisvanaiśca prabhinnarathyāgṛhagopuraiśca | babhūva ghorā dharaṇī samantātkapālakośākulakarburāṅgī

Translation

Dans le fracas des cris «hā hā» et des lamentations, tandis que rues, maisons et tours de portes se brisaient, la terre devint terrible partout, tachetée et jonchée d’amas de crânes.

Word by Word

• हाहा-रव-आक्रन्दित-निस्वनैः: by the sounds of ‘hā hā’ cries and wailing
• हाहा-रव-आक्रन्दित-निस्वनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हाहा (अव्यय/उद्गार) + रव (प्रातिपदिक) + आक्रन्दित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त) + निस्वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; समासः बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (हाहा-रव-आक्रन्दितानां निस्वनाः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• प्रभिन्न-रथ्या-गृह-गोपुरैः: by the shattered streets, houses, and gateways
• प्रभिन्न-रथ्या-गृह-गोपुरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र + भिद् (धातु) → प्रभिन्न (कृदन्त, क्त) + रथ्या (प्रातिपदिक) + गृह (प्रातिपदिक) + गोपुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; समासः इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (रथ्याश्च गृहाणि च गोपुराणि च) विशेषणम् ‘प्रभिन्न’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपदम्

• घोरा: terrible, dreadful
• घोरा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (धरणी)

• धरणी: the earth
• धरणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• समन्तात्: from all sides, all around
• समन्तात्: Desha (Spatial adverbial/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्तात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अपादानार्थक/देशवाचक (ablatival adverb: ‘from/at all sides’)

• कपाल-कोश-आकुल-कर्बुर-अङ्गी: whose body was mottled and crowded with skull-cases
• कपाल-कोश-आकुल-कर्बुर-अङ्गी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कपाल (प्रातिपदिक) + कोश (प्रातिपदिक) + आकुल (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्बुर (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्गिन्/अङ्गी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समासः (कपालकोशैः आकुलं कर्बुरं अङ्गं यस्याः सा) विशेषणम् (धरणी)

Speaker

Deductive (Revā Khaṇḍa narrative voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa relating the account)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devastated cityscape: cracked streets, collapsed houses and gate-towers; people wail ‘hā hā’; the earth is mottled with dark stains and piled skulls; smoke and dust obscure the horizon.

Characters & Entities

• Earth (Dharaṇī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly structures are fragile; when cosmic justice moves, even fortified cities and pride collapse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears; the verse is a scene-setting description within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.