Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

देवासुरगणे नष्टे सरित्सरमहार्णवे । का त्वं भ्रमसि पद्माक्षि क्व गतासि च न क्षयम्

Transliteration

devāsuragaṇe naṣṭe saritsaramahārṇave | kā tvaṃ bhramasi padmākṣi kva gatāsi ca na kṣayam

Translation

നദി-സരോവർസമമായ മഹാർണവത്തിൽ ദേവാസുരഗണം നശിച്ചപ്പോൾ അദ്ദേഹം പറഞ്ഞു— “ഹേ പദ്മാക്ഷി! നീ ആരാണ്? ഇവിടെ എന്തിന് അലയുന്നു? നീ എങ്ങനെ ക്ഷയം പ്രാപിച്ചില്ല?”

Word by Word

• देव-असुर-गणे: in the host of gods and demons
• देव-असुर-गणे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + असुर (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (देवाश्च असुराश्च) + तत्पुरुषः (गणः)

• नष्टे: when (it was) destroyed
• नष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• सरित्-सर-महा-अर्णवे: in the great ocean (formed) of rivers and lakes
• सरित्-सर-महा-अर्णवे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक) + सर (प्रातिपदिक) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सरितां सरः = river-lake) + कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (महान् अर्णवः)

• का: who?
• का: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भ्रमसि: you wander
• भ्रमसि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पद्माक्षि: O lotus-eyed one
• पद्माक्षि: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (पद्मे इव अक्षिणी यस्याः)

• क्व: where?
• क्व: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• गतासि: have you gone
• गतासि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निषेध-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• क्षयम्: destruction/end
• क्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (अध्याहृतः: ‘प्राप्ता/गता’ इत्यर्थे)

Speaker

Śiva (continuing the address, implied from prior verse context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A desolate, endless ocean where even divine hosts are gone; Śiva (still in peacock-form) addresses the radiant lotus-eyed Narmadā who alone moves upon the waters.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Asuras
• Mahārṇava
• Padmākṣī (unnamed feminine figure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even divine and demonic powers are transient in pralaya; true security lies beyond worldly status, prompting spiritual inquiry into the imperishable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tirtha is directly praised in this verse; it remains within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s overarching sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.