Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तरन्बाहुभिरश्रान्तस्तं बकं प्रत्यभाषिषि । पाक्षरूपं समास्थाय कस्त्वमेकार्णवीकृते

Transliteration

taranbāhubhiraśrāntastaṃ bakaṃ pratyabhāṣiṣi | pākṣarūpaṃ samāsthāya kastvamekārṇavīkṛte

Translation

ഞാൻ കൈകളാൽ അശ്രാന്തമായി നീന്തിക്കൊണ്ടിരിക്കെ ആ കൊക്കിനോട് പറഞ്ഞു—‘പക്ഷിരൂപം ധരിച്ചു, ഏകമഹാസമുദ്രമാക്കിയ ഈ ലോകത്തിൽ നീ ആരാണ്?’

Word by Word

• तरन्: swimming, crossing
• तरन्: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘swimming/crossing’

• बाहुभिः: with (my) arms
• बाहुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• अश्रान्तः: untired, unwearied
• अश्रान्तः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + श्रान्त (श्रम् धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नञ्-समास/उपसर्गयुक्त विशेषण; ‘not tired’

• तम्: that (him)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• बकम्: crane/heron
• बकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रत्यभाषिषि: I addressed/spoke to
• प्रत्यभाषिषि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + भाष् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; (कथनार्थे)

• पाक्षरूपम्: a bird-form
• पाक्षरूपम्: Karma (Object of samāsthāya/assumed form)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषभावः—‘पक्षिणां रूपम्’ (bird-form)

• समास्थाय: having assumed
• समास्थाय: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having assumed/taken up’

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; मध्यमपुरुष-सूचक; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एकार्णवीकृते: when (all was) made into one ocean
• एकार्णवीकृते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (कृते = made), तत्पुरुषः—‘एकः अर्णवः इव कृतम्’/‘एकार्णवीकृत’ = made into a single ocean; विशेषणम् (qualifying implied ‘जगति/संसारे’ locative context)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) narrative sphere

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The crane (divine being in bird-form)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A determined swimmer, arms cutting through dark waters, calls out to a radiant crane; the human struggle contrasts with the bird’s effortless poise and uncanny luminosity.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Baka (bird-form)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere inquiry (praśna) in the face of mystery invites revelation; the divine may appear in unexpected forms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the setting is ekārṇava, the cosmic flood.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative question-and-answer setup.