Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

षड्योजनवहा कुल्य नद्योऽल्पा द्वादशैव च । चतुर्विंशतिगा नद्यो महानद्यस्ततोऽधिकाः

Transliteration

ṣaḍyojanavahā kulya nadyo'lpā dvādaśaiva ca | caturviṃśatigā nadyo mahānadyastato'dhikāḥ

Translation

«الكوليَا» (kulyā) مجرى ماء يمتد ستّ يوجانات؛ و«الأنهار الصغيرة» تمتد إلى اثنتي عشرة. والأنهار التي تبلغ أربعًا وعشرين يوجانا تُسمّى «أنهارًا عظيمة»، وما زاد على ذلك فهو أعظم منها.

Word by Word

• षट्: six
• षट्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, अव्ययवत् प्रयोग; here as first member of compound

• योजन: yojana (distance unit)
• योजन: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; here as compound member meaning ‘yojana (measure)’

• वहाः: flowing (for)
• वहाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वह (प्रातिपदिक; from √वह्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘carrying/flowing’; agrees with ‘नद्यः’ (understood)

• कुल्याः: channels/canals
• कुल्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; subject class

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; subject (apposition)

• अल्पाः: small
• अल्पाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; predicate adjective

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Sankhya (Numerical qualifier/संख्या)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; here used predicatively ‘twelve’ (count)

• एव: only
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), restriction/emphasis ‘only/indeed’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• चतुर्विंशति: twenty-four
• चतुर्विंशति: Sankhya (Numerical qualifier/संख्या)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्विंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; first member of compound

• गाः: extending (to)
• गाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ग (प्रातिपदिक; from √गा/गम् in sense ‘going/extent’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘reaching/going (so far)’; agrees with ‘नद्यः’

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; subject

• महानद्यः: great rivers
• महानद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महानदी (प्रातिपदिक; महा + नदी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; predicate noun ‘great rivers’

• ततः: beyond that; then
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), ‘thereafter/than that’

• अधिकाः: greater; more (in extent)
• अधिकाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; comparative sense ‘greater/more’; agrees with ‘महानद्यः’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (to Yudhiṣṭhira) [contextual deduction across Revā Khaṇḍa dialogue]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: नदी-प्रमाण-निर्णय (classification of waterways)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-teacher points to a stylized map-scroll showing waterways of different lengths; three bands labeled kulyā, alpa-nadī, mahā-nadī, with pilgrims at various fords.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography in the Purāṇas includes concrete classifications; the ‘greatness’ of a river is framed through traditional measures, supporting graded tīrtha-merit teachings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single river is named, but the taxonomy supports the Revā Khaṇḍa’s broader glorification of major river tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it provides definitions (kulyā, small river, great river) used to interpret the merit statements about bathing and proximity.