Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

ततोऽहं तस्य पक्षान्ते प्रलीनस्तु भ्रमञ्जले । काले युगसाहस्रान्ते अश्रान्तोऽर्णवमध्यगः

Transliteration

tato'haṃ tasya pakṣānte pralīnastu bhramañjale | kāle yugasāhasrānte aśrānto'rṇavamadhyagaḥ

Translation

แล้วข้าพเจ้าก็แนบซึมอยู่ ณ ปลายปีกของเขา ขณะสายน้ำหมุนวนไปมา ครั้นกาลล่วงถึงปลายพันยุค ข้าพเจ้าก็มิได้อ่อนล้า ยังดำรงอยู่กลางมหาสมุทร

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थ

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पक्षान्ते: at the end/tip of the wing
• पक्षान्ते: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘पक्षस्य अन्तः’

• प्रलीनः: merged/settled
• प्रलीनः: Kriyā (अवस्था)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-ली (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘merged/hidden, settled’

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोध-सूचक (particle)

• भ्रमन्: wandering
• भ्रमन्: Karta (कर्ता) (विशेषणरूपेण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘wandering’

• जले: in the water
• जले: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• काले: at a time
• काले: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• युगसाहस्रान्ते: at the end of a thousand yugas
• युगसाहस्रान्ते: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक) + साहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-श्रृंखला: ‘युगानां साहस्रस्य अन्ते’ (at the end of a thousand yugas)

• अश्रान्तः: unwearied
• अश्रान्तः: Karta (कर्ता) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-श्रान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष/नकार-प्रत्यय (negated adjective)

• अर्णवमध्यगः: in the middle of the ocean
• अर्णवमध्यगः: Karta (कर्ता) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + ग (गम्-धातु से कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘अर्णवस्य मध्ये गः’ (one who has gone/being in mid-ocean)

Speaker

Narrator (a Brāhmaṇa sage) addressing a king (Nareśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) frame—cosmic endurance episode

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Suvrata / Nareśvara (frame addressee indicated by vocatives across verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tiny human figure rests at the edge of a colossal wing, suspended above swirling waters; the sky suggests aeons passing—stars, dawns, and dusks layered in one frame.

Characters & Entities

• Arṇava (ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

One who abides in divine protection can remain steady even amid cosmic-scale upheavals and vast time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred landscape frames the story, but this verse itself highlights a cosmic ocean setting rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is narrative—cosmic time and steadfastness.