Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

यक्षराक्षसभूतादीन्नागान्सर्पान्सरीसृपान् । मनुष्यपक्षिगोरूपगजसिंहजलेचरान्

Transliteration

yakṣarākṣasabhūtādīnnāgānsarpānsarīsṛpān | manuṣyapakṣigorūpagajasiṃhajalecarān

Translation

तोच यक्ष, राक्षस, भूत इत्यादी; तोच नाग, सर्प व सरिसृप; तोच मनुष्य, पक्षी, गोरूप पशु, हत्ती, सिंह आणि जलचर प्राणीही आहे.

Word by Word

• यक्षराक्षसभूतादीन्: yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, and others
• यक्षराक्षसभूतादीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्ष-राक्षस-भूत-आदि (प्रातिपदिक; यक्ष + राक्षस + भूत + आदि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व/समुच्चयार्थः—‘यक्षाश्च राक्षसाश्च भूतानि च’ इत्यादयः

• नागान्: nāgas (serpent beings)
• नागान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• सर्पान्: snakes
• सर्पान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• सरीसृपान्: reptiles/creeping creatures
• सरीसृपान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरीसृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• मनुष्यपक्षिगोरूपगजसिंहजलेचरान्: humans, birds, cows, (various) forms, elephants, lions, and aquatic creatures
• मनुष्यपक्षिगोरूपगजसिंहजलेचरान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य-पक्षि-गो-रूप-गज-सिंह-जलेचर (प्रातिपदिक; मनुष्य + पक्षि + गो + रूप + गज + सिंह + जलेचर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; समुच्चय-द्वन्द्वः—मनुष्याः, पक्षिणः, गावः, रूपाणि(=रूपधारिणः), गजाः, सिंहाः, जलेचराः इत्यादयः

Speaker

Celestial women (Apsarās / Amarāṅganāḥ), speaking collectively (contextual deduction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tridaśāṅganāḥ (celestial ladies)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic wilderness-and-river scene: nāgas coiling near water, yakṣas as guardians of groves, rākṣasas and bhūtas rendered subdued under a unifying divine aura; humans, birds, cattle, elephants, lions, and fish share the same luminous presence.

Characters & Entities

• Yakṣas
• Rākṣasas
• Bhūtas
• Nāgas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divinity pervades not only the gods but every class of being—human, animal, and even fearsome or unseen orders.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified; the verse reinforces the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred worldview where all life is within the divine field.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a contemplative expansion of divine immanence.