Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

आग्नेयीं धारणां ध्यात्वा जनयामास पावकम् । कृत्यामन्त्रैर्जुहावाग्नौ कृत्या वै संभवत्विति

Transliteration

āgneyīṃ dhāraṇāṃ dhyātvā janayāmāsa pāvakam | kṛtyāmantrairjuhāvāgnau kṛtyā vai saṃbhavatviti

Translation

ആഗ്നേയീ ധാരണ ധ്യാനിച്ച് അവൻ പാവകമായ പവിത്ര അഗ്നിയെ ഉത്പാദിപ്പിച്ചു. പിന്നെ കൃത്യാ-മന്ത്രങ്ങളാൽ അഗ്നിയിൽ ആഹുതി അർപ്പിച്ച്—“കൃത്യാ നിശ്ചയം ഉദ്ഭവിക്കട്ടെ” എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• आग्नेयीम्: Agni-related, fiery
• आग्नेयीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आग्नेयी (प्रातिपदिक; अग्नि-सम्बन्धिनी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (धारणाम् इति) — Feminine, Accusative, Singular; adjective

• धारणाम्: concentration/meditative fixation
• धारणाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धारणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• ध्यात्वा: having meditated
• ध्यात्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्या (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (पूर्वकाल) — Absolutive/gerund: “having meditated”

• जनयामास: he produced/caused to be born
• जनयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जनय् (धातु; √जन् caus.)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन — Perfect, 3rd person, singular; causative sense

• पावकम्: fire (Pāvaka)
• पावकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पावक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कृत्या-मन्त्रैः: with spells of (for) the kṛtyā
• कृत्या-मन्त्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्या (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कृत्यायाः मन्त्राः); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Genitive tatpurusha; Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• जुहाव: he offered (oblation)
• जुहाव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु (धातु; √हु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन — Perfect, 3rd person, singular

• अग्नौ: in the fire
• अग्नौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative, Singular

• कृत्या: the kṛtyā (magical female entity)
• कृत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipata)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle) — particle

• संभवतु: let (her) arise/come into being
• संभवतु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + भू (धातु; √भू)
• Form: लोट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन — Imperative, 3rd person, singular

• इति: thus
• इति: Quotation marker (इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्ति निपात — quotative particle

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa/ritualist seated in intense meditation, visualizing an Āgneya dhāraṇā; a sacrificial fire springs forth before him; he pours oblations while uttering kṛtyā-mantras, the air shimmering with heat.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Pāvaka)
• Kṛtyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual and mantra are potent; when driven by anger they can be turned toward destructive ends, violating dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is praised in this verse; it is a narrative episode within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A fire-offering (homa/juhoti) performed with kṛtyā-mantras after meditating on an āgneyī dhāraṇā.