Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20
Devanagari script
आवृतं गगन मेघैर्विधुन्वानैर्महीं तदा । न किंचिद्दृश्यते तत्र सर्वं संतमसावृतम्
Transliteration
āvṛtaṃ gagana meghairvidhunvānairmahīṃ tadā | na kiṃciddṛśyate tatra sarvaṃ saṃtamasāvṛtam
Translation
其时，翻腾震荡的云团遮蔽长空，笼罩大地；彼处全然无所可见——万物尽被浓重黑暗所覆。
Word by Word
आवृतम्covered
आवृतम्:
Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
TypeVerb
Rootवृ (धातु)
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; क्त (past passive participle) with उपसर्ग आ-; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण (predicate)
गगनम्the sky
गगनम्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootगगन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/Nominative); एकवचन
मेघैःby clouds
मेघैः:
Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootमेघ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन
विधुन्वानैःshaking / thundering (lit. shaking)
विधुन्वानैः:
Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
TypeVerb
Rootधुन् (धातु)
Formवर्तमानकाले कृदन्त; शानच्/मान (present participle) with उपसर्ग वि-; पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘मेघैः’)
महीम्the earth
महीम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootमही (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन
तदाthen
तदा:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतदा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)
नnot
न:
Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)
किञ्चित्anything
किञ्चित्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)
दृश्यतेis seen
दृश्यते:
Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootदृश् (धातु)
Formलट् लकार (Present); प्रथमा पुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense: is seen)
तत्रthere
तत्र:
Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत्र (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: there)
सर्वम्everything
सर्वम्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootसर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/Nominative); एकवचन
सन्तमसाby dense darkness
सन्तमसा:
Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootसन्तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन
आवृतम्covered
आवृतम्:
Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
TypeVerb
Rootवृ (धातु)
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; क्त (past passive participle) with उपसर्ग आ-; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण (predicate)
Speaker
Narrative voice (contextual; speaker not explicitly marked in the verse)
Tirtha Mahatmya
Tirtha: Arbuda
Type: peak
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A churning canopy of dark monsoon clouds blankets the sky; the earth below is barely visible, swallowed by dense darkness, suggesting an imminent divine epiphany.
Characters & Entities
M
Megha (clouds)T
Tamas (darkness)FAQs
When conflict intensifies, confusion and ‘darkness’ symbolically spread—yet such moments often precede the Lord’s restoring presence.
No single tīrtha is named; the episode remains within the Arbuda-khaṇḍa sacred setting.
None.