Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

विण्मूत्रदेहाश्च निमग्नदेहा भ्रमन्ति तावन्नरकेषु मर्त्याः । महाबलध्वस्ततरङ्गभङ्गं जलं न यावत्तव संस्पृशन्ति

Transliteration

viṇmūtradehāśca nimagnadehā bhramanti tāvannarakeṣu martyāḥ | mahābaladhvastataraṅgabhaṅgaṃ jalaṃ na yāvattava saṃspṛśanti

Translation

เหล่ามนุษย์ผู้มีกายอันโสโครกและจมอยู่ในความเสื่อม ย่อมเร่ร่อนในนรกทั้งหลายตราบเท่าที่ยังมิได้สัมผัสน้ำของพระองค์ ซึ่งยอดคลื่นถูกพลังอันยิ่งใหญ่กระแทกจนแตกสลาย

Word by Word

• विण्मूत्रदेहाः: men with bodies (smeared) with excrement and urine
• विण्मूत्रदेहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विण्मूत्र+देह (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: विण्/विट् (feces) + मूत्र (urine) + देह (body)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारयार्थ-तत्पुरुषसमास (sense: bodies of excrement and urine)

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

• निमग्नदेहाः: those whose bodies are submerged
• निमग्नदेहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमग्न+देह (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: निमग्न (sunk) + देह (body)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयसमास (adj+noun)

• भ्रमन्ति: wander
• भ्रमन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• तावत्: so long, until
• तावत्: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/कालवाचक-अव्यय (until/so long)

• नरकेषु: in hells
• नरकेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• मर्त्याः: mortals
• मर्त्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• महाबलध्वस्ततरङ्गभङ्गम्: whose wave-break is shattered by great force
• महाबलध्वस्ततरङ्गभङ्गम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल+ध्वस्त+तरङ्गभङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: महा (great) + बल (force) + ध्वस्त (destroyed) + तरङ्ग (wave) + भङ्ग (breaking)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमास, जलस्य विशेषणम्

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

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधिवाचक-अव्यय (until)

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• संस्पृशन्ति: touch
• संस्पृशन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+√स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

Speaker

Devotees/dvijas continuing the stuti; narrated within Revā-khaṇḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark contrast tableau: shadowy beings in a hellish landscape reach toward a bright, forceful river whose waves break with power; upon touching the water, their forms become clean and luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Naraka (hells)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha-māhātmya asserts that contact with sacred waters can reverse deep impurity and suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā—her very water-contact is praised as a remedy against hellish suffering.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Touching the river water is the implied practice (commonly realized as snāna/ācamana at the tīrtha).