Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

मद्भर्ता विषमे स्थाने शकुन्तमृगजातिषु । यदि प्रेषयसे तात कंचित्त्वं नर्मदातटे

Transliteration

madbhartā viṣame sthāne śakuntamṛgajātiṣu | yadi preṣayase tāta kaṃcittvaṃ narmadātaṭe

Translation

আমার স্বামী ভীষণ দুর্দশায়, পাখি ও মৃগের যোনিসমূহের মধ্যে অবস্থান করছেন। হে পিতা, যদি কাউকে পাঠান, তবে নর্মদা-তীরেই পাঠাবেন।

Word by Word

• मत्-भर्ता: my husband/lord
• मत्-भर्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + भर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मत् = मम)

• विषमे: in difficult/uneven
• विषमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; 'स्थाने' इति विशेषणम्

• स्थाने: in a place
• स्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• शकुन्त-मृग-जातिषु: among the kinds of birds and beasts
• शकुन्त-मृग-जातिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + मृग (प्रातिपदिक) + जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; समाहार/निर्देशार्थे तत्पुरुषः (शकुन्तानां मृगाणां जातिषु)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Logical connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• प्रेषयसे: you send
• प्रेषयसे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-इष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• तात: dear father/sir
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• कंचित्: someone
• कंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थे (indefinite)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नर्मदा-तटे: on the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदा-तटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः तटे)

Speaker

Kanyā (the maiden)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā-taṭa

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A distressed maiden speaks to her father, pointing toward the sacred Narmadā bank as the destination to aid her husband trapped in beast-and-bird births; the river is envisioned as luminous and salvific.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas like the Narmadā are presented as dharmic centers where compassionate action for the afflicted/departed is undertaken.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā (Revā) riverbank tīrtha context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

To send a person/agent to the Narmadā bank for the intended rite (clarified in subsequent verses).