Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

यजन्ति नर्मदातीरे न पुनस्ते भवन्ति च । आ देहपतनात्केचिदुपासन्तः परं गताः

Transliteration

yajanti narmadātīre na punaste bhavanti ca | ā dehapatanātkecidupāsantaḥ paraṃ gatāḥ

Translation

يعبدون على ضفاف نَرْمَدَا فلا يعودون إلى القيد مرةً أخرى. ومنهم من يداوم على العبادة حتى سقوط الجسد فيبلغ المقام الأعلى.

Word by Word

• yajanti: they worship/sacrifice
• yajanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yaj (यज् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• narmadā-tīre: on the bank of the Narmadā
• narmadā-tīre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (नर्मदा प्रातिपदिक) + tīra (तीर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः तीरम्/तीरे)

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• punar: again
• punar: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (पुनर्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (plural)

• bhavanti: they become/are (born)
• bhavanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• ā: up to
• ā: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā (आ)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधिपर्यन्त (preverb/particle meaning 'up to')

• deha-patanāt: from the falling of the body (i.e., until death)
• deha-patanāt: Apadana (Source/Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (देह प्रातिपदिक) + patana (पतन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), पञ्चमी विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देहस्य पतनम्)

• kecit: some (people)
• kecit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (plural); अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite pronoun)

• upāsantaḥ: worshipping
• upāsantaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-ās (उप-आस् धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle/शतृ), परस्मैपद, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; 'उपासन्' = worshipping

• param: the supreme (state)
• param: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (पर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular); कर्मपद (object)

• gatāḥ: have gone/attained
• gatāḥ: Kriya (Result/क्रिया-फल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; 'गत' = gone/attained

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (contextual attribution within Āvantya/Revā narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ascetics and householders worship at dawn on the Narmadā’s bank; a calm river with ghāṭa steps, bilva leaves, rudrākṣa, and a liṅga shrine nearby; some devotees remain steadfast until death, depicted as serene liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere worship at Narmadā’s bank is praised as a direct cause for freedom from repeated becoming (rebirth).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā-tīra (the banks of the river Narmadā/Revā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yajana/upāsanā (worship) at Narmadā’s bank, continued steadfastly up to the end of life.