Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

रुधिरांधो वैतरणी कृमिशः कृमिभोजनः । असिपत्रवनं कृष्णो लालाभक्ष्यश्च दारुमः

Transliteration

rudhirāṃdho vaitaraṇī kṛmiśaḥ kṛmibhojanaḥ | asipatravanaṃ kṛṣṇo lālābhakṣyaśca dārumaḥ

Translation

രുധിരാന്ധ, വൈതരണി, കൃമിശ, കൃമിഭോജന; അസിപത്രവനം, കൃഷ്ണ, ലാലാഭക്ഷ്യ, ദാരുമ—ഇവയും നരകങ്ങളിൽ എണ്ണപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• रुधिरान्धः: Rudhirāndha (hell)
• रुधिरान्धः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुधिर (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (blood-blind/dark with blood) नरक-नाम

• वैतरणी: Vaitaraṇī (river/hell)
• वैतरणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैतरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नरक-नदी-नाम

• कृमिशः: Kṛmiśa (hell)
• कृमिशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमिश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नरक-नाम

• कृमिभोजनः: Kṛmibhojana (hell)
• कृमिभोजनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमि (प्रातिपदिक) + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (worms as food / eater of worms) नरक-नाम

• असिपत्रवनम्: Asipatravana (forest of sword-leaves)
• असिपत्रवनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असि (प्रातिपदिक) + पत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (sword-leaf forest) नरक-नाम

• कृष्णः: Kṛṣṇa (hell)
• कृष्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नरक-नाम

• लालाभक्ष्यः: Lālābhakṣya (hell)
• लालाभक्ष्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाला (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्ष्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, भक्ष् धातु)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (spittle as food / to be eaten with saliva) नरक-नाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• दारुमः: Dāruma (hell)
• दारुमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दारुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नरक-नाम

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) [deduced]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaitaraṇī (infernal)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: interlocutor (mahāmati)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grim procession through named hellscapes: blood-dark Rudhirāndha, the dreadful Vaitaraṇī river-crossing, worm-realms (Kṛmiśa/Kṛmibhojana), the sword-leaf forest Asipatravana, and other devouring/wooden torment realms.

Characters & Entities

• Rudhirāndha
• Vaitaraṇī
• Kṛmiśa
• Kṛmibhojana
• Asipatravana
• Kṛṣṇa (Naraka)
• Lālābhakṣya
• Dāruma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The catalogue of narakas reinforces the Purāṇic ethic: harmful deeds mature into corresponding suffering, urging self-restraint and dharmic living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is praised here; the verse continues the enumeration of hell-realms below Pātāla.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.