Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । इति वः कथितं विप्रा रेवामाहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । यथोपदिष्टं पार्थाय मार्कण्डेयेन वै पुरा

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | iti vaḥ kathitaṃ viprā revāmāhātmyamuttamam | yathopadiṣṭaṃ pārthāya mārkaṇḍeyena vai purā

Translation

قال سوتا: وهكذا، أيها البراهمة، رويت لكم المجد الأسمى لنهر ريفا، تمامًا كما علمه ماركانديا لبارثا في الماضي.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta (the narrator)
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-शब्दः; वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक/उद्धरणसूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• वः: to you / of you (plural)
• वः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) वा चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), बहुवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप ‘वः’

• कथितम्: told
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रियाविशेषण-रूपेण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘कथितम्’ = ‘said/told’

• विप्राः: O brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), बहुवचन

• रेवा-माहात्म्यम्: the greatness of Revā (Narmadā)
• रेवा-माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Genitive determinative): ‘रेवायाः माहात्म्यम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent, supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘माहात्म्यम्’)

• यथा: as, according to
• यथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (adverb: ‘as, according to’)

• उपदिष्टम्: instructed
• उपदिष्टम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + दिश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘instructed’

• पार्थाय: to Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• मार्कण्डेयेन: by Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) बलार्थ/निश्चयार्थ

• पुरा: formerly, long ago
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viprāḥ (assembled brāhmaṇas/sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta addresses assembled brāhmaṇa-sages, concluding the Narmadā māhātmya and invoking the earlier teaching to Arjuna by Mārkaṇḍeya.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Revā (Narmadā)
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge is preserved through lineage: tīrtha-glories are transmitted from sages to heroes and from narrators to seekers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) as a whole is glorified through its māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse serves as a narrative closure and attribution of the teaching.