Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

माण्डव्य उवाच । इदं जलं च रक्षस्व कालकूटविषोपमम् । समुद्रे क्षिपयिष्यामि देवकार्यं समुत्थितम्

Transliteration

māṇḍavya uvāca | idaṃ jalaṃ ca rakṣasva kālakūṭaviṣopamam | samudre kṣipayiṣyāmi devakāryaṃ samutthitam

Translation

มาณฑวยะกล่าวว่า “จงรักษาน้ำนี้ไว้เถิด ฤทธิ์เดชของมันดุจพิษกาลกูฏะ เราจะสาดมันลงสู่มหาสมุทร เพราะกิจแห่งทวยเทพได้บังเกิดขึ้นแล้ว”

Word by Word

• माण्डव्यः: Māṇḍavya
• माण्डव्यः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माण्डव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine nominative singular; proper noun)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (perfect, 3rd person singular)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter accusative singular)

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• रक्षस्व: protect (it)
• रक्षस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् (imperative, 2nd person singular, ātmanepada)

• कालकूटविषोपमम्: like Kālakūṭa poison
• कालकूटविषोपमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कालकूट (प्रातिपदिक) + विष (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (कालकूटविषस्य उपमम् = comparable to Kālakūṭa poison)

• समुद्रे: in the ocean
• समुद्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular)

• क्षिपयिष्यामि: I will cast (it)
• क्षिपयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु) [णिच् causative] → क्षिपयिष्यामि
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच्-प्रयोग (future, 1st person singular; causative ‘I will cause to be thrown/throw’)

• देवकार्यं: divine task
• देवकार्यं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (देवानां कार्यम् = task of the gods)

• समुत्थितम्: arisen, undertaken
• समुत्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + उत् + स्था (धातु) → समुत्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (past participle; neuter accusative singular)

Speaker

Māṇḍavya Ṛṣi

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Samudra (Ocean) as visarjana-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārāyaṇa (and sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Māṇḍavya, composed, warns that the water is like Kālakūṭa poison and instructs it be guarded and later cast into the ocean; the vessel glows ominously while the sage’s calm dominates the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍavya
• Kālakūṭa
• samudra (ocean)
• deva (gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual power must be contained and directed for loka-hita (world-benefit), not personal vengeance—hence the insistence on guarding and rightly disposing of it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to the samudra (ocean) as the intended destination; in the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred-geography style, this connects local events to pan-Indian cosmic waters rather than a single named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A handling rule is given: protect the potent mantrapūta water and then cast it into the ocean as part of a deva-kārya (divine rite/purpose).