Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततस्तेषु प्रयातेषु नर्मदातीरवासिषु । बभूव रौद्रसंहारः सर्वभूतक्षयंकरः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tatasteṣu prayāteṣu narmadātīravāsiṣu | babhūva raudrasaṃhāraḥ sarvabhūtakṣayaṃkaraḥ

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—നർമദാതീരവാസികളായ അവർ പുറപ്പെട്ട ശേഷം, രുദ്രസമമായ ഭയങ്കര സംഹാരം ഉദിച്ചു; അത് സർവ്വഭൂതക്ഷയങ്കരമായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—श्री + मार्कण्डेय (honorific + name)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थ (then)

• तेषु: among them/when they
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन

• प्रयातेषु: when (they) had departed
• प्रयातेषु: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-या (धातु) + प्रयात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• नर्मदातीरवासिषु: among the dwellers on the Narmadā’s bank
• नर्मदातीरवासिषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + तीर + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—नर्मदायाः तीरम् (gen.) + वासिनः (dwellers)

• बभूव: arose/occurred
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• रौद्रसंहारः: a terrible destruction
• रौद्रसंहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रौद्र + संहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—रौद्रः संहारः (terrible destruction)

• सर्वभूतक्षयंकरः: causing the destruction of all beings
• सर्वभूतक्षयंकरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + भूत + क्षय + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण रौद्रसंहारः; समासः—सर्वेषां भूतानां क्षयम् करोति इति

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā-tīra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates: after the Narmadā-bank sages depart, a Rudra-like devastation erupts, threatening all beings—dark skies, turbulent waters, fleeing creatures.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Narmadā
• Rudra (implicit via raudra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All worlds are time-bound; only alignment with Śiva-dharma and tīrtha-smarana grants steadiness amid dissolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā’s riverbanks form the sacred stage—highlighting the river’s centrality even in cosmic-scale events.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse introduces a pralaya episode rather than a practice.