Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

देवासुरा भयत्रस्ताः सयक्षोरगराक्षसाः । विशन्ति केऽपि पातालं लीयन्ते च गुहादिषु

Transliteration

devāsurā bhayatrastāḥ sayakṣoragarākṣasāḥ | viśanti ke'pi pātālaṃ līyante ca guhādiṣu

Translation

ഭയത്താൽ വിറച്ച ദേവാസുരർ—യക്ഷർ, നാഗർ, രാക്ഷസർ സഹിതം—ചിലർ പാതാളത്തിലേക്ക് കയറിപ്പോയി; ചിലർ ഗുഹകളാദിയിൽ ഒളിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• devāḥ: gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन

• asurāḥ: and demons
• asurāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; देव + असुर (द्वन्द्व)

• bhaya: by fear
• bhaya: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन (stem-form in compound)

• trastāḥ: frightened
• trastāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tras (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; ‘त्रस्त’ = frightened

• sa: together with
• sa: Sambandha (Association)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अर्थक अव्यय/उपपद, ‘with’ (समासे)

• yakṣa: yakṣas
• yakṣa: Sambandha (Association)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (stem) समासे

• uraga: serpents
• uraga: Sambandha (Association)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uraga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (stem) समासे

• rākṣasāḥ: rākṣasas (with yakṣas and serpents)
• rākṣasāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; समासः: स + यक्ष + उरग + राक्षसाः = with yakṣas, serpents, and rākṣasas

• viśanti: enter
• viśanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: viś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ke: some
• ke: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; अनिश्चितार्थे ‘some’

• api: indeed/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• pātālam: the netherworld
• pātālam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• līyante: hide, dissolve (themselves)
• līyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: lī (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; ‘to hide/merge’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• guhā: caves
• guhā: Sambandha (Location set)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (stem) समासे

• ādiṣu: in caves etc.
• ādiṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; समासः: गुहा-आदि-षु = in caves and the like

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced: Āvantya Khaṇḍa narrative frame commonly Sūta to sages; exact speaker not in snippet]

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas and Asuras, with Yakṣas, Nāgas, and Rākṣasas, scatter in fear—some diving into the netherworld, others squeezing into caves—while the sky darkens with the approach of Devī’s destructive force.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Asuras
• Yakṣas
• Nāgas (Uraga)
• Rākṣasas
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When divine power manifests for cosmic correction, even mighty beings lose refuge in pride; only dharma and surrender provide true safety.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within the Revā Khaṇḍa context (Narmadā/Revā sacred geography), though this specific line describes cosmic fear rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is descriptive narrative.