Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

उत्तरं नर्मदाकूलं ये श्रेष्ठा मुनिपुंगवाः । देवलोकं गताः पूर्वमिति शास्त्रस्य निश्चयः

Transliteration

uttaraṃ narmadākūlaṃ ye śreṣṭhā munipuṃgavāḥ | devalokaṃ gatāḥ pūrvamiti śāstrasya niścayaḥ

Translation

أمّا أولئك الحكماء الأجلّاء المقيمون على الضفة الشمالية لنهر نَرْمَدَا، فيُقال إنهم يبلغون أولًا دِڤَلوكا، عالم الآلهة؛ وهذا هو الحكم المقطوع به في الشاسترا.

Word by Word

• uttaram: northern
• uttaram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (narmadākūlam)

• narmadākūlam: the bank of the Narmadā
• narmadākūlam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā-kūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (narmadāyāḥ kūlam)

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• śreṣṭhāḥ: excellent
• śreṣṭhāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (munipuṃgavāḥ)

• munipuṃgavāḥ: bulls among sages, foremost sages
• munipuṃgavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: munipuṃgava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (munīnām puṃgavāḥ)

• devalokam: world of the gods
• devalokam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devaloka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (devānāṃ lokaḥ)

• gatāḥ: gone, having gone
• gatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (कृदन्त; √gam/गम् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/PPP) — gone

• pūrvam: formerly
• pūrvam: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: formerly/before)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• śāstrasya: of the scripture
• śāstrasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• niścayaḥ: certainty, conclusion
• niścayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niścaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual attribution within Revā Khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (north bank)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Northern Narmadā bank with hermitages; sages perform agnihotra and japa; above, a luminous Devaloka with devas receiving them, emphasizing ‘śāstrasya niścayaḥ’.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Devaloka
• śāstra
• muni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Scripture assigns distinct spiritual fruits to sacred directions and banks; the northern Narmadā bank is praised for leading to Devaloka.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The northern bank (uttara-kūla) of the Narmadā/Revā is specifically extolled.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the emphasis is on dwelling/association with the northern Narmadā bank.