Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अकस्मात्सलिले तस्मिन्नतसीपुष्पसन्निभम् । विभिन्नांजनसङ्काशमाकाशमिव निर्मलम्

Transliteration

akasmātsalile tasminnatasīpuṣpasannibham | vibhinnāṃjanasaṅkāśamākāśamiva nirmalam

Translation

അപ്രതീക്ഷിതമായി ആ ജലത്തിനുള്ളിൽ അവിസ്സിപ്പൂവുപോലെ ഒന്നുദിച്ചു—ചിതറിയ കാജലത്തെപ്പോലെ ശ്യാമവർണം, നിർമ്മല ആകാശത്തെപ്പോലെ പവിത്രം।

Word by Word

• अकस्मात्: suddenly
• अकस्मात्: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अकस्मात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: suddenly)

• सलिले: in the water
• सलिले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अतसीपुष्पसन्निभम्: resembling an atasi (flax) flower
• अतसीपुष्पसन्निभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतसी + पुष्प + सन्निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः: तत्पुरुष (atasī-puṣpasya sannibham = resembling flax-flower)

• विभिन्नांजनसङ्काशम्: like (dark) collyrium/pigment
• विभिन्नांजनसङ्काशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विभिन्न + अञ्जन + सङ्काश (प्रातिपदिक); विभिन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः: तत्पुरुष (vibhinna-añjana-sadṛśa = like split collyrium/black pigment)

• आकाशम्: sky, space
• आकाशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• इव: like, as if
• इव: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमा-वाचक (particle of comparison)

• निर्मलम्: clear, pure
• निर्मलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (deduced: narrator witnessing a divine manifestation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) — contextual frame; epiphany within waters

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In dark waters, a flax-flower-like luminous patch appears—sky-pure yet dark-hued like dispersed collyrium—suggesting a divine presence forming out of the void.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When conditions seem darkest, divine revelation can arise unexpectedly—pure, clear, and transformative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā-khaṇḍa’s sacred-water setting frames the vision, though no single named ford is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a descriptive prelude to a deity’s appearance.