Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

तामुज्जहारार्णवतोयमग्नां करी निमग्नामिव हस्तिनीं हठात् । नावं विशीर्णामिव तोयमध्यादुदीर्णसत्त्वोऽनुपमप्रभावः

Transliteration

tāmujjahārārṇavatoyamagnāṃ karī nimagnāmiva hastinīṃ haṭhāt | nāvaṃ viśīrṇāmiva toyamadhyādudīrṇasattvo'nupamaprabhāvaḥ

Translation

अर्णवजलात बुडालेल्या त्या पृथ्वीला त्याने हठात् वर उचलले—जसे हत्ती बुडालेल्या हथिनीला उचलतो. उफाळलेल्या सामर्थ्याने व अनुपम प्रभावाने त्याने पाण्याच्या मध्यातून मोडकी नाव जशी काढावी तसे तिला बाहेर ओढले.

Word by Word

• tām: her
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• ujjahāra: lifted out / drew up
• ujjahāra: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √hṛ (हृ) + ud-
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• arṇava-toya-magnām: sunk in ocean-water
• arṇava-toya-magnām: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: arṇava (प्रातिपदिक) + toya (प्रातिपदिक) + magna (कृदन्त; √maj (मज्ज्), क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—अर्णवस्य तोये मग्ना

• karī: the elephant
• karī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• nimagnām: submerged
• nimagnām: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nimagna (कृदन्त; √maj (मज्ज्) + ni-, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• iva: like
• iva: Upamana-marker (Simile/उपमा-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय

• hastinīm: a female elephant
• hastinīm: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hastinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• haṭhāt: forcibly, suddenly
• haṭhāt: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: haṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Ablatival adverb), ‘by force/suddenly’

• nāvam: a boat
• nāvam: Upameya (Compared object/उपमेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nau (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• viśīrṇām: broken apart
• viśīrṇām: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśīrṇa (कृदन्त; √śṝ (शॄ) + vi-, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• iva: like
• iva: Upamana-marker (Simile/उपमा-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय

• toya-madhyāt: from the middle of the water
• toya-madhyāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: toya (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—तोयस्य मध्यात्

• udīrṇa-sattvaḥ: of aroused strength
• udīrṇa-sattvaḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: udīrṇa (कृदन्त; √īr (ईर्) + ud-, क्त) + sattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—उदीर्णं सत्त्वं यस्य (raised/roused strength)

• anupama-prabhāvaḥ: (he) of incomparable power
• anupama-prabhāvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anupama (प्रातिपदिक) + prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—अनुपमः प्रभावः (peerless might)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced]

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Lord hauls Earth from the ocean like an elephant lifting a submerged mate; also like retrieving a shattered boat from mid-waters—dynamic, forceful upward motion.

Characters & Entities

• Varāha/Viṣṇu (implied)
• Earth (Bhūmi)
• Ocean (Arṇava)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord’s saving action is decisive and compassionate—He restores the world from ruin with unmatched strength.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse continues the Varāha episode within the Revā-khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual instruction appears in this verse.