Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

सुमेरुमन्दरान्तां च निर्दहुर्वसुधां तदा । भित्त्वा तु सप्तपातालं नागलोकं ततोऽदहत्

Transliteration

sumerumandarāntāṃ ca nirdahurvasudhāṃ tadā | bhittvā tu saptapātālaṃ nāgalokaṃ tato'dahat

Translation

Alors il embrasa la terre jusqu’à Sumeru et Mandara ; puis, perçant les sept pātālas, il brûla ensuite le royaume des Nāgas.

Word by Word

• सुमेरुमन्दरान्ताम्: bounded by (Mount) Sumeru and Mandara
• सुमेरुमन्दरान्ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमेरु (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्दर (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘वसुधाम्’; द्वन्द्व-समासः (सुमेरु + मन्दर) ततः ‘अन्ता’—‘सुमेरु-मन्दरयोः अन्ता/मर्यादिता’

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

• निर्दहुः: burned up
• निर्दहुः: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह् (धातु) + निर् (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• वसुधाम्: the earth
• वसुधाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुधा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• भित्त्वा: having pierced
• भित्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘having split/pierced’

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/particle—emphasis

• सप्तपातालम्: the seven Pātālas (nether regions)
• सप्तपातालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त (प्रातिपदिक) + पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः—‘सप्त पातालानि’ (the seven netherworlds)

• नागलोकम्: the world of the Nāgas
• नागलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष—‘नागानां लोकः’

• ततः: thereupon
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमवाचक adverb—‘thereupon/from there’

• अदहत्: burned
• अदहत्: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Purāṇic narration addressed to a listener)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vertical cross-section of the cosmos: blazing fire sweeps from the mountain-world of Meru and Mandara down through seven pātālas, finally engulfing jeweled Nāga palaces.

Characters & Entities

• Sumeru
• Mandara
• SaptaPātāla
• Nāgaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

No realm—mountain, earth, or underworld—lies outside divine power; humility and dharma are urged before the cosmic Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; the verse is cosmological rather than tīrtha-specific.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.