Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तटपुलिनं शिवदेवा यस्या यतयोऽपि कामयन्ते वा । मुनिनिवहविहितसेवा शिवाय मम जायतां रेवा

Transliteration

taṭapulinaṃ śivadevā yasyā yatayo'pi kāmayante vā | muninivahavihitasevā śivāya mama jāyatāṃ revā

Translation

لتكن ريفا لخيرِي وسلامتي؛ فهي التي تُشتهى ضفافُها ورمالُها حتى عند الزهّاد، وهي التي يخدمها جمعٌ من الحكماء، وهي المباركة المخلِصة لشيفا.

Word by Word

• तटपुलिनम्: bank and sandbank (river-shore)
• तटपुलिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट + पुलिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective copulative)

• शिवदेवाः: Śiva-like gods / auspicious deities
• शिवदेवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (śivāḥ devāḥ)

• यस्याः: of whom/whose
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• यतयः: ascetics
• यतयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• कामयन्ते: desire/long for
• कामयन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; causative/desiderative sense in usage: ‘desire’

• वा: or/indeed
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (disjunctive particle)

• मुनिनिवहविहितसेवा: whose service is performed by hosts of sages
• मुनिनिवहविहितसेवा: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुनि + निवह + विहित + सेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (muninivahasya vihitā sevā)

• शिवाय: for Śiva
• शिवाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• जायताम्: may (she) arise/become
• जायताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/विधिलिङ्-आदेश), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आशीर्लिङ्गार्थ (benedictive sense): ‘may be born/come to be’

• रेवा: Revā (Narmadā river)
• रेवा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; devotional benediction within Revā Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣa sages (implied by surrounding verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous river (Revā) with wide sandy banks; ascetics and sages seated in meditation and performing simple worship; Śiva’s presence implied through liṅga/triśūla symbols and a serene, auspicious atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Śiva
• Yati
• Muni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True holiness makes even renunciants yearn for sacred places; service to a tīrtha in a Śaiva spirit yields auspicious welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā (Narmadā), especially her banks and sand-shores as a sanctified pilgrimage landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sevā (reverent service/worship) performed by sages is highlighted as the fitting approach to the river-tīrtha.