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

Sie verehren am Ufer der Narmadā und werden nicht wieder gebunden. Manche, im Gottesdienst verharrend bis zum Fall des Leibes, erlangen den höchsten Zustand.

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.