Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

कीदृक्कालं महाभाग क्षपिष्यामोऽथ सुव्रत । अनावृष्टिहतं सर्वं सीदते सचराचरम्

Transliteration

kīdṛkkālaṃ mahābhāga kṣapiṣyāmo'tha suvrata | anāvṛṣṭihataṃ sarvaṃ sīdate sacarācaram

Translation

“ഹേ മഹാഭാഗ, ഹേ സുവ്രത, ഞങ്ങൾ എങ്ങനെയുള്ള കാലം സഹിക്കണം? മഴയില്ലായ്മകൊണ്ട് ബാധിതമായ എല്ലാം—ചരാചരങ്ങളോടുകൂടെ—നാശത്തിലേക്ക് വീഴുന്നു।”

Word by Word

• kīdṛk: what kind of
• kīdṛk: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kīdṛś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रयोगः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; प्रश्नविशेषणम्

• kālam: time/period
• kālam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• mahābhāga: O greatly fortunate one
• mahābhāga: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + bhāga (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्

• kṣapiṣyāmaḥ: shall we pass/spend (time)
• kṣapiṣyāmaḥ: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣap (धातु √क्षप्)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

• atha: then/now
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अनुक्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/now)

• suvrata: O one of good vows
• suvrata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su + vrata (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्

• an-āvṛṣṭi-hatam: struck by lack of rain
• an-āvṛṣṭi-hatam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an + āvṛṣṭi + hata (प्रातिपदिकानि; hata = √हन् + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; नञ्-समास; विशेषणम्

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• sīdate: is afflicted / languishes
• sīdate: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sad (धातु √सद्)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• sa-carācaram: with all moving and unmoving beings
• sa-carācaram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + cara + acara (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (चर+अचर = moving and non-moving)

Speaker

The gathered sages (ṛṣis)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic depiction of drought: cracked fields, animals weakened, trees leafless; in the foreground, supplicants ask the sage what time they must endure.

Characters & Entities

• All beings (sacarācara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Calamity is shared by all life; dharma calls for timely, wise action that preserves beings and supports sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in the verse; the narrative context builds toward Revā/Narmadā as the sustaining sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse describes anāvṛṣṭi as the cause of suffering.