Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

यक्षकिन्नरगन्धर्वाः पिशाचोरगराक्षसाः । सर्वे ते प्रलयं यान्ति युगान्ते समुपस्थिते

Transliteration

yakṣakinnaragandharvāḥ piśācoragarākṣasāḥ | sarve te pralayaṃ yānti yugānte samupasthite

Translation

യക്ഷന്മാർ, കിന്നരന്മാർ, ഗന്ധർവ്വന്മാർ, പിശാചുകൾ, നാഗജാതികൾ, രാക്ഷസർ—യുഗാന്തം സമീപിക്കുമ്പോൾ ഇവരൊക്കെയും പ്രളയത്തിൽ ലയിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• yakṣa-kinnara-gandharvāḥ: Yakṣas, Kinnaras, and Gandharvas
• yakṣa-kinnara-gandharvāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yakṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + kinnara (प्रातिपदिक) + gandharva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (yakṣāś ca kinnarāś ca gandharvāś ca)

• piśāca-uraga-rākṣasāḥ: Piśācas, serpents, and Rākṣasas
• piśāca-uraga-rākṣasāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piśāca (प्रातिपदिक) + uraga (प्रातिपदिक) + rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (piśācāś ca uragāś ca rākṣasāś ca)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifies the groups)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• pralayam: dissolution/destruction
• pralayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pralaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yānti: go/attain
• yānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपदम्

• yuga-ante: at the end of the age
• yuga-ante: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (yugasya ante)

• sam-upasthite: when (it) has come/arrived
• sam-upasthite: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + upa + sthā (धातु) → upasthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); पुं/नपुंसक-समरूप (loc. sg.); ‘when (it) has arrived’

Speaker

A narrator within Revā-khaṇḍa (speaker not explicit in the excerpt; treated as the section’s narrative voice)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic procession of beings—Yakṣas with treasure motifs, Kinnaras with instruments, Gandharvas singing, Piśācas shadowy, Nāgas serpentine, Rākṣasas fierce—each fading into a dissolving mist labeled ‘yugānta’.

Characters & Entities

• Yakṣa
• Kinnara
• Gandharva
• Piśāca
• Uraga
• Rākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All classes of beings—celestial and demonic alike—are impermanent and subject to pralaya; one should seek the imperishable refuge of dharma and the divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Revā (Narmadā) in the Revā-khaṇḍa, though this verse itself describes pralaya rather than naming a specific ford.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse; it establishes the cosmological setting (yuga-anta/pralaya).