Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । पाद्मेकल्पे पुरावृत्ते मनोः स्वायंभुवेंतरे । अनावृष्टिरभूद्विप्र सर्वभूतप्रकंपिनी

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | pādmekalpe purāvṛtte manoḥ svāyaṃbhuveṃtare | anāvṛṣṭirabhūdvipra sarvabhūtaprakaṃpinī

Translation

军荼说道：“婆罗门啊，在远古之时——莲华劫之中、自在生摩奴的摩奴劫期——发生了大旱，使一切众生震惧不安。”

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• पाद्मे: in the Pādma (lotus)
• पाद्मे: Adhikarana (Location/Time locus)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाद्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• कल्पे: in the kalpa (aeon)
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Time locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Temporal modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• वृत्ते: having occurred/when it happened
• वृत्ते: Adhikarana (Time locus)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (locative absolute sense with कल्पे)

• मनोः: of Manu
• मनोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• स्वायम्भुवे: in (the period) of Svāyambhuva
• स्वायम्भुवे: Adhikarana (Time locus)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वायम्भुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• अन्तरे: in the interval (manvantara)
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Time locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अनावृष्टिः: drought / absence of rain
• अनावृष्टिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनावृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अभूत्: occurred/was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वभूतप्रकम्पिनी: making all beings tremble
• सर्वभूतप्रकम्पिनी: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रकम्पिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सर्वेषां भूतानां प्रकम्पिनी = causing trembling of all beings)

Speaker

Skanda

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (addressed as vipra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda narrates with didactic calm; behind him, a symbolic tableau of parched earth and distressed beings, with celestial time-wheels (kalpa/manvantara) hinted as mandala motifs.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Svāyambhuva Manu
• Padma Kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic cycles include crises like drought; such upheavals become occasions for dharma to be sought and sacred refuges to be revealed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter’s arc culminates in Avimukta/Kāśī as a spiritual refuge, though this verse establishes the time-setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; it introduces the historical-cosmic setting.