Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

सर्पसूषकयोर्युद्धं तथा केसरिनागयोः । उन्मार्गाः सरितस्तत्रावहन्रक्तविमिश्रिताः । अकालतरुपुष्पाणि दृश्यन्ते स्म समन्ततः

Transliteration

sarpasūṣakayoryuddhaṃ tathā kesarināgayoḥ | unmārgāḥ saritastatrāvahanraktavimiśritāḥ | akālatarupuṣpāṇi dṛśyante sma samantataḥ

Translation

അവിടെ സർപ്പങ്ങളും നരിക്കുരങ്ങൻ (മംഗൂസ്)കളും തമ്മിൽ യുദ്ധം നടന്നു; അതുപോലെ സിംഹങ്ങളും ആനകളും ഏറ്റുമുട്ടി. നദികൾ വഴിതെറ്റി രക്തമിശ്രിത ജലം വഹിച്ച് ഒഴുകി; അകാലപുഷ്പങ്ങൾ വൃക്ഷങ്ങളിൽ എല്ലാടവും ദൃശ്യമായി।

Word by Word

• सर्पसूषकयोः: of the snake and the mongoose
• सर्पसूषकयोः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प + सूषक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: द्वन्द्व (सर्पश्च सूषकश्च); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन

• युद्धम्: battle
• युद्धम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise/and also
• तथा: Samuccaya (समुच्चय/अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/conjunction)

• केसरिनागयोः: of the lion and the elephant
• केसरिनागयोः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केसरिन् + नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: द्वन्द्व (केसरी च नागश्च); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन

• उन्मार्गाः: out of their course
• उन्मार्गाः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उन्मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सरितः इति विशेषण

• सरितः: rivers
• सरितः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• अवहन्: carried/flowed bearing
• अवहन्: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; छान्दस/संक्षिप्त रूप (अवहन् = अवहन्/अवहन्)

• रक्तविमिश्रिताः: mixed with blood
• रक्तविमिश्रिताः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रक्त + विमिश्रित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (रक्तेन विमिश्रिताः); क्त (PPP) from वि+मिश्र्; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सरितः इति विशेषण

• अकालतरुपुष्पाणि: untimely blossoms of trees
• अकालतरुपुष्पाणि: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अकाल + तरु + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (अकाले जातानि तरुपुष्पाणि); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen/appear
• दृश्यन्ते: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (are seen)

• स्म: indeed/then (narrative particle)
• स्म: Sambandha (वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्म (अव्यय)
• Form: भूतार्थ/अनुस्मरणार्थक निपात (particle, often with past narration)

• समन्ततः: on all sides
• समन्ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: परितोऽर्थक अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Āvantya Khaṇḍa narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panorama of omens: serpents battling mongooses, lions fighting elephants; rivers running off-course with blood-tinged waters; trees blooming out of season across the land.

Characters & Entities

• Sarpa
• Sūṣaka (mongoose)
• Kesarin (lion)
• Nāga (elephant)
• Saritaḥ (rivers)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharma is disturbed, the world’s balance appears to fracture—Puranic tradition expresses this through disorder in animals, seasons, and rivers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is explicitly praised in this verse; it functions as a portent-scene within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive of omens rather than prescriptive of vows or rites.