Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

दह्यमानास्ततो दैत्या अग्निज्वालासमावृताः । प्रविश्य पातालतलं जले लीनाः सहस्रशः

Transliteration

dahyamānāstato daityā agnijvālāsamāvṛtāḥ | praviśya pātālatalaṃ jale līnāḥ sahasraśaḥ

Translation

പിന്നീട് ദഹിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരുന്ന ദൈത്യർ അഗ്നിജ്വാലകളാൽ മൂടപ്പെട്ടവരായി പാതാളതലത്തിലേക്ക് കടന്നു; ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് പേർ ജലത്തിൽ ലീനമായി മറഞ്ഞുപോയി.

Word by Word

• दह्यमानाः: being burned
• दह्यमानाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दह् (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकर्मणि कृदन्तः (शानच्/मान-प्रत्ययः), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; Present passive participle, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ततः: thereupon
• ततः: Kala-adhikarana (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/हेतुवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb: then/thereupon)

• दैत्या: the Daityas (demons)
• दैत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अग्निज्वालासमावृताः: enveloped by flames of fire
• अग्निज्वालासमावृताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्नि + ज्वाला + सम्-आ-वृ (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (क्त-प्रत्ययः) ‘समावृत’; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; Past passive participle, Masculine, Nom., Plural; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अग्निज्वालाभिः समावृताः)

• प्रविश्य: having entered
• प्रविश्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-विश् (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (gerund/absolutive)

• पातालतलम्: the floor/region of the netherworld
• पातालतलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल + तल (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; Neuter, Accusative, Singular; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पातालस्य तलम्)

• जले: in water
• जले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular

• लीनाः: merged, dissolved, submerged
• लीनाः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रियासमासार्थ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ली (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (क्त-प्रत्ययः), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; Past passive participle, Masculine, Nom., Plural

• सहस्रशः: by the thousand(s)
• सहस्रशः: Kriya-visheshana (Manner adjunct/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्ययम् (distributive adverb: by thousands)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Āvantya-khaṇḍa style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Flame-wreathed daityas, scorched and panicked, plunge downward into a dark, cavernous pātāla opening; thousands vanish into churning waters that swallow the fire.

Characters & Entities

• Daityas
• Agni
• Pātāla
• Waters (jala)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma ultimately retreats and dissolves; divine heat drives impurities away from the sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā sacred region is the context, though the verse itself mentions the cosmic realm of Pātāla rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative description of the demons’ flight and disappearance.