Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

यक्षकिन्नरगन्धर्वाः पिशाचोरगराक्षसाः । सर्वे ते प्रलयं यान्ति युगान्ते समुपस्थिते

Transliteration

yakṣakinnaragandharvāḥ piśācoragarākṣasāḥ | sarve te pralayaṃ yānti yugānte samupasthite

Translation

Các Yakṣa, Kinnara, Gandharva, Piśāca, loài mang tướng rắn, cùng Rākṣasa—hết thảy đều đi vào Pralaya khi yugānta, thời mạt của một kỷ nguyên, đã đến.

Word by Word

• yakṣa-kinnara-gandharvāḥ: Yakṣas, Kinnaras, and Gandharvas
• yakṣa-kinnara-gandharvāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yakṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + kinnara (प्रातिपदिक) + gandharva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (yakṣāś ca kinnarāś ca gandharvāś ca)

• piśāca-uraga-rākṣasāḥ: Piśācas, serpents, and Rākṣasas
• piśāca-uraga-rākṣasāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piśāca (प्रातिपदिक) + uraga (प्रातिपदिक) + rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (piśācāś ca uragāś ca rākṣasāś ca)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifies the groups)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• pralayam: dissolution/destruction
• pralayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pralaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yānti: go/attain
• yānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपदम्

• yuga-ante: at the end of the age
• yuga-ante: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (yugasya ante)

• sam-upasthite: when (it) has come/arrived
• sam-upasthite: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + upa + sthā (धातु) → upasthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); पुं/नपुंसक-समरूप (loc. sg.); ‘when (it) has arrived’

Speaker

A narrator within Revā-khaṇḍa (speaker not explicit in the excerpt; treated as the section’s narrative voice)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic procession of beings—Yakṣas with treasure motifs, Kinnaras with instruments, Gandharvas singing, Piśācas shadowy, Nāgas serpentine, Rākṣasas fierce—each fading into a dissolving mist labeled ‘yugānta’.

Characters & Entities

• Yakṣa
• Kinnara
• Gandharva
• Piśāca
• Uraga
• Rākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All classes of beings—celestial and demonic alike—are impermanent and subject to pralaya; one should seek the imperishable refuge of dharma and the divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Revā (Narmadā) in the Revā-khaṇḍa, though this verse itself describes pralaya rather than naming a specific ford.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse; it establishes the cosmological setting (yuga-anta/pralaya).