Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

पूर्वतः पश्चिमामाशां दक्षिणोत्तरतः कुरून् । समन्तपञ्चके पञ्च चकार रुधिरह्रदान्

Transliteration

pūrvataḥ paścimāmāśāṃ dakṣiṇottarataḥ kurūn | samantapañcake pañca cakāra rudhirahradān

Translation

De l’orient à l’occident, et du sud au nord—dans le pays des Kurus—à Samantapañcaka il fit cinq lacs de sang.

Word by Word

• पूर्वतः: from the east/eastwards
• पूर्वतः: Kriya-visheshana (Directional modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक/स्थानवाचक (indeclinable: from the east/eastwards)

• पश्चिमाम्: western
• पश्चिमाम्: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular); आशाम् इत्यस्य विशेषण

• आशाम्: direction, quarter
• आशाम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

• दक्षिणोत्तरतः: from the south and north
• दक्षिणोत्तरतः: Kriya-visheshana (Directional modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + तः (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; द्वन्द्वार्थ-समुच्चयेन दिशावाचक (indeclinable: from the south and north / southwards and northwards)

• कुरून्: the Kurus
• कुरून्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु (प्रातिपदिक; जनपद/वंश)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• समन्तपञ्चके: in Samantapañcaka
• समन्तपञ्चके: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समन्तपञ्चक (प्रातिपदिक; स्थाननाम)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (समन्तात् पञ्चकं/पञ्च-प्रदेशः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (Quantifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (indeclinable numeral)

• चकार: made, created
• चकार: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person singular, Perfect)

• रुधिरह्रदान्: lakes of blood
• रुधिरह्रदान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुधिर (प्रातिपदिक) + ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (रुधिरस्य ह्रदाः); पुल्लिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Samantapañcaka

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the Kuru land at Samantapañcaka, Paraśurāma creates five dreadful lakes filled with blood—an apocalyptic landscape within a sacred plain.

Characters & Entities

• Samantapañcaka
• Kuru region
• Paraśurāma (implied)
• Rudhira-hradas (five blood lakes)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It shows how actions—especially violent ones—become memorialized in sacred geography, turning history into a moral landscape remembered through place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Samantapañcaka, renowned for the five rudhira-hradas (blood lakes) connected with Paraśurāma’s narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a prescription, but the creation of the rudhira-hradas sets the stage for pitṛ-tarpaṇa described in the next verse.