Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

नानावर्णारुणं शुभ्रं वस्त्राद्यद्वारि निःसृतम् । पीड्यमानं करैः शुभ्रैस्तैस्तु पल्लवकोमलैः

Transliteration

nānāvarṇāruṇaṃ śubhraṃ vastrādyadvāri niḥsṛtam | pīḍyamānaṃ karaiḥ śubhraistaistu pallavakomalaiḥ

Translation

ବସ୍ତ୍ରରୁ ଯେ ଜଳ ନିଷ୍କ୍ରାନ୍ତ ହେଲା, ସେ ନାନାବର୍ଣ୍ଣ—ଅରୁଣ ଓ ଉଜ୍ଜ୍ୱଳ—ଦେଖାଗଲା। ପଲ୍ଲବ ପରି କୋମଳ, ଶୁଭ୍ର ହାତରେ ତାହାକୁ ପିଡ଼ାଯାଉଥିଲା।

Word by Word

• nānāvarṇa-aruṇam: reddish with many colors
• nānāvarṇa-aruṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nānā (अव्यय) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + aruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'reddish with various colors'

• śubhram: white, bright
• śubhram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vastrāt: from the cloth
• vastrāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vastra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• vāri: water
• vāri: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• niḥsṛtam: flowed out
• niḥsṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis + √sṛ (धातु) + -ta (क्त)
• Form: उपसर्ग (निः) + कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'having flowed out'

• pīḍyamānam: being pressed
• pīḍyamānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √pīḍ (धातु) + शानच् (शतृ/लट्-कर्तरि)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे 'being pressed'

• karaiḥ: by hands
• karaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• śubhraiḥ: white
• śubhraiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; 'white/bright'

• taiḥ: by those
• taiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• tu: indeed, but
• tu: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• pallava-komalaiḥ: sprout-tender, very soft
• pallava-komalaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pallava (प्रातिपदिक) + komala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; 'tender like sprouts'

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapilā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A white cloth is being gently wrung; from it streams water shimmering in red-gold and bright white tones; tender, sprout-soft hands hold the cloth; the scene feels ritually pure and luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Anucarī (implied attendants)
• Devī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha narratives sanctify nature through divine aesthetics, making the landscape a field of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The arising of Kapilā’s sacred waters is being poetically depicted.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it functions as a glorification (māhātmya) of the water’s auspicious character.