Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12
पृथिव्यां दह्यमानायां हविर्गन्धश्च जायते । ततो मे शुष्यते गात्रं तृषाप्येवं दुरासदा
pṛthivyāṃ dahyamānāyāṃ havirgandhaśca jāyate | tato me śuṣyate gātraṃ tṛṣāpyevaṃ durāsadā
เมื่อแผ่นดินกำลังลุกไหม้ กลิ่นหอมแห่งฮวิสจากยัญญบูชาก็ฟุ้งขึ้น แล้วกายของข้าพเจ้าก็แห้งผาก และความกระหายอันยากทนก็ครอบงำ
A first-person narrator within Revā-khaṇḍa (speaker not explicit in the excerpt)
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)
Type: river
Listener: Interlocutor implied from prior address
Scene: Smoke and shimmering heat rise from a burning earth; strangely, the air carries the sweet scent of ghee-offerings. The narrator’s limbs appear parched, eyes strained, thirst personified as an overpowering force.
FAQs
The world’s burning is likened to a sacrificial fire, yet embodied beings suffer intensely—pointing to the limits of the body and the need for spiritual refuge.
The chapter belongs to Revā-khaṇḍa; the explicit glorification of Revā appears in nearby verses rather than here.
No prescription is given; “havis” appears as metaphorical imagery connected to sacrifice.