Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । ततस्तेषु प्रयातेषु नर्मदातीरवासिषु । बभूव रौद्रसंहारः सर्वभूतक्षयंकरः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tatasteṣu prayāteṣu narmadātīravāsiṣu | babhūva raudrasaṃhāraḥ sarvabhūtakṣayaṃkaraḥ

Translation

Sinabi ni Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya: Nang sila—ang mga naninirahan sa pampang ng Narmadā—ay makaalis na, sumiklab ang isang mabagsik na paglipol na wari’y kay Rudra, na nagdudulot ng kapahamakan sa lahat ng nilalang.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—श्री + मार्कण्डेय (honorific + name)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थ (then)

• तेषु: among them/when they
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन

• प्रयातेषु: when (they) had departed
• प्रयातेषु: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-या (धातु) + प्रयात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• नर्मदातीरवासिषु: among the dwellers on the Narmadā’s bank
• नर्मदातीरवासिषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + तीर + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—नर्मदायाः तीरम् (gen.) + वासिनः (dwellers)

• बभूव: arose/occurred
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• रौद्रसंहारः: a terrible destruction
• रौद्रसंहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रौद्र + संहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—रौद्रः संहारः (terrible destruction)

• सर्वभूतक्षयंकरः: causing the destruction of all beings
• सर्वभूतक्षयंकरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + भूत + क्षय + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण रौद्रसंहारः; समासः—सर्वेषां भूतानां क्षयम् करोति इति

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā-tīra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates: after the Narmadā-bank sages depart, a Rudra-like devastation erupts, threatening all beings—dark skies, turbulent waters, fleeing creatures.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Narmadā
• Rudra (implicit via raudra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All worlds are time-bound; only alignment with Śiva-dharma and tīrtha-smarana grants steadiness amid dissolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā’s riverbanks form the sacred stage—highlighting the river’s centrality even in cosmic-scale events.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse introduces a pralaya episode rather than a practice.