Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

भौमं यज्जीवनं किंचिन्नानावृक्षतृणालयम् । शुष्कं पूर्वमनावृष्ट्या सकलाकुलभूतलम्

Transliteration

bhaumaṃ yajjīvanaṃ kiṃcinnānāvṛkṣatṛṇālayam | śuṣkaṃ pūrvamanāvṛṣṭyā sakalākulabhūtalam

Translation

भौमं यज्जीवनं किंचिन् नानावृक्षतृणालयं तत् पूर्वमनावृष्ट्या शुष्कं बभूव; सकलं भूतलं चाकुलीकृतम्।

Word by Word

• भौमम्: earthly, terrestrial
• भौमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘jīvanam’/‘bhūtalam’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhauma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्: which, whatever
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative connector)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• जीवनम्: life, livelihood
• जीवनम्: Viśeṣya (Head noun of relative clause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• किंचित्: some, any (a little)
• किंचित्: Viśeṣaṇa (Indefinite qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kiṃcit (सर्वनाम/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय; अनिश्चितपरिमाणवाचक (indefinite particle)

• नानावृक्षतृणालयम्: having various trees, grasses, and dwellings
• नानावृक्षतृणालयम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘jīvanam’/‘bhūtalam’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nānā (अव्यय) + vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + tṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (नानाविध-वृक्ष-तृण-आलययुक्तम्)

• शुष्कम्: dry
• शुष्कम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuṣka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly, before
• पूर्वम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• अनावृष्ट्या: due to lack of rain, by drought
• अनावृष्ट्या: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: an- (नञ्) + āvṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; नञ्-समासपूर्वपद (lack of rain)

• सकलाकुलभूतलम्: the entire disturbed earth/ground
• सकलाकुलभूतलम्: Viśeṣya/Ādhāra (Topic: the ground/earth as locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक) + ākula (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūtala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (सकलं च तत् आकुलं च भूतलम्)

Speaker

Deductive: Purāṇic narrator

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The earth is already parched from lack of rain; trees, grasses, and habitats are dried; the whole ground is troubled and chaotic with suffering beings.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When harmony is disturbed, nature reflects it; dharma includes protecting life and sustaining balance through righteous conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is explicitly named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.