Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तान्येवाग्रे प्रलीयन्ते भिन्नान्युरुजलेन वै । अथ संक्षीयमाणासु सरित्सु सह सागरैः

Transliteration

tānyevāgre pralīyante bhinnānyurujalena vai | atha saṃkṣīyamāṇāsu saritsu saha sāgaraiḥ

Translation

ກ່ອນອື່ນ ສາຍນ້ຳເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນເອງກໍສູນໄປ ແຕກກະຈາຍແລະຖືກນ້ຳຖ້ວມອັນມະຫາສານກົດກືນ. ຕໍ່ມາ ເມື່ອແມ່ນ້ຳພ້ອມທະເລເລີ່ມຫຼຸດລົງ ໂລກກໍເຄື່ອນໄປສູ່ຄວາມແຫ້ງແລ້ງ.

Word by Word

• तानि: those (beings)
• तानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (particle of emphasis)

• अग्रे: first/at the beginning
• अग्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् (adverbial locative: in front/at first)

• प्रलीयन्ते: dissolve/perish
• प्रलीयन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+ली (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Present Indicative, Ātmanepada, 3rd person, Plural

• भिन्नानि: split/ruptured
• भिन्नानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √भिद्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Neuter, Nominative, Plural; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) passive participle; विशेषण

• उरुजलेन: by abundant water
• उरुजलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उरु-जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन — Neuter, Instrumental, Singular; (उरुं जलम्) कर्मधारय

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• संक्षीयमाणासु: when (they are) dwindling
• संक्षीयमाणासु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सं+क्षी (धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन — Feminine, Locative, Plural; वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्) आत्मनेपदी; विशेषण (सरित्सु)

• सरित्सु: in the rivers
• सरित्सु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), बहुवचन — Feminine, Locative, Plural

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakaraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सहार्थक-अव्यय (with)

• सागरैः: with the oceans
• सागरैः: Sahakaraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (सह/करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta-style narration within Āvantya Khaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split-scene: in the foreground torrents smash and fragment streams; in the distance the same waterways shrink into thin threads, leaving exposed stones and cracked banks—time-lapse of catastrophe.

Characters & Entities

• Rivers
• Oceans

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All conditioned phenomena— even mighty waters—are impermanent; therefore one should seek refuge in dharma and sacred tirthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider context is the Revā Khaṇḍa, oriented toward Revā/Narmadā and her tirthas, though this verse itself sets the crisis (drying of waters).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; it introduces the environmental/cosmic condition that prompts seeking a sacred refuge.