Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

नरके तेऽन्धतामिस्रे प्रपच्यन्ते नराधमाः । शतसाहस्रिकं कालमुषित्वा तत्र ते नराः

Transliteration

narake te'ndhatāmisre prapacyante narādhamāḥ | śatasāhasrikaṃ kālamuṣitvā tatra te narāḥ

Translation

ಆ ನರಾಧಮರು ‘ಅಂಧತಾಮಿಸ್ರ’ ಎಂಬ ನರಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಬೇಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟು ಶಿಕ್ಷೆ ಅನುಭವಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಲಕ್ಷ ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಕಾಲ ವಾಸಿಸಿ, ನಂತರ ಕರ್ಮಾನುಸಾರ ಮುಂದಿನ ಗತಿಯನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ।

Word by Word

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अन्धतामिस्रे: in Andhatāmisra (a hell)
• अन्धतामिस्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्ध + तामिस्र (प्रातिपदिक); अन्ध-तामिस्र
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (विशेषण-विशेष्य: 'dark' + 'Tāmisra')

• प्रपच्यन्ते: are cooked/tormented
• प्रपच्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पच् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; उपसर्ग-युक्त

• नराधमाः: the lowest of men
• नराधमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + अधम (प्रातिपदिक); नर-अधम
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'men' + 'lowest')

• शतसाहस्रिकम्: for a hundred-thousand (units)
• शतसाहस्रिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत + साहस्रिक (प्रातिपदिक); शत-साहस्रिक
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालम् इति विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'hundred' + 'thousandfold/pertaining to thousand')

• कालम्: time/period
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उषित्वा: having dwelt
• उषित्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु) + क्त्वा (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having dwelt)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purana narrative style within Āvantya Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-mahātmya context

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Andhatāmisra: a pitch-dark infernal realm where sinners are 'cooked'—tormented by heat and confinement—watched by Yama’s attendants; a caption-like sense of immense time passing.

Characters & Entities

• Andhatāmisra (Naraka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Grave wrongdoing can mature into prolonged suffering; dharma is not merely social order but cosmic law.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; the verse continues the Naraka section within the Revā Khaṇḍa framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it emphasizes the severity and duration of karmic retribution.