Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

स तेषु रुधिराम्भस्तु ह्रदेषु क्रोधमूर्छितः । पितॄन् संतर्पयामास रुधिरेणेति नः श्रुतम्

Transliteration

sa teṣu rudhirāmbhastu hradeṣu krodhamūrchitaḥ | pitṝn saṃtarpayāmāsa rudhireṇeti naḥ śrutam

Translation

ଏବଂ ସେଇ ରକ୍ତଜଳପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ହ୍ରଦଗୁଡ଼ିକରେ ସେ—ଏପର୍ଯ୍ୟନ୍ତ କ୍ରୋଧମୂର୍ଛିତ—ରକ୍ତଦ୍ୱାରା ପିତୃମାନଙ୍କୁ ତର୍ପଣ କରି ତୃପ୍ତ କଲେ; ଏହିପରି ଆମେ ଶୁଣିଛୁ।

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• तेषु: in those
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Locative, Plural)

• रुधिराम्भः: blood-water (bloody water)
• रुधिराम्भः: Karma (Object; understood with संतर्पयामास)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुधिर (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (रुधिरम् एव अम्भः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Discourse particle (Nipata)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• ह्रदेषु: in the lakes
• ह्रदेषु: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Locative, Plural)

• क्रोधमूर्छितः: overcome with anger
• क्रोधमूर्छितः: Karta (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्छित (√मूर्छ् धातु, क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (क्रोधेन मूर्छितः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• पितॄन्: the forefathers
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• संतर्पयामास: satisfied/propitiated
• संतर्पयामास: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-तृप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect) परिप्रयोग; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person singular, Perfect); causative sense in stem (संतर्पय-) from √तृप् (to satisfy)

• रुधिरेण: with blood
• रुधिरेण: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुधिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)

• इति: thus
• इति: Discourse marker (Quotation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक (quotative particle)

• नः: of us/our
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Genitive, Plural)

• श्रुतम्: (it is) heard, we have heard
• श्रुतम्: Kriya (Predicate; impersonal)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular); भावे प्रयोग (it is heard)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Samantapañcaka (Rudhirahrada tradition)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Paraśurāma stands at the edge of blood-filled lakes, offering tarpaṇa to the Pitṛs—an unsettling juxtaposition of sacred rite and horrific substance, with unseen ancestors receiving the offering.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Samantapañcaka (implied)
• Paraśurāma (implied)
• Rudhira-hradas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It juxtaposes ancestral duty (pitṛ-kārya) with the peril of anger, portraying how even dharma-acts can be colored by one’s inner state.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rudhira-hradas at Samantapañcaka are central, forming a famous tīrtha-memory within Purāṇic sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pitṛ-tarpaṇa (offering of libations to ancestors) is described as being performed at the lakes.