Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । किमर्थं लोकपालैश्च तपश्चीर्णं पुरानघ । नर्मदातटमाश्रित्य ह्येतन्मे वक्तुमर्हसि

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kimarthaṃ lokapālaiśca tapaścīrṇaṃ purānagha | narmadātaṭamāśritya hyetanme vaktumarhasi

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: O Makelloser, aus welchem Grund übten die Hüter der Welten einst Askese, indem sie am Ufer der Narmadā Zuflucht nahmen? Bitte erkläre mir dies.

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• किमर्थम्: why/for what purpose
• किमर्थम्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किमर्थम् (अव्यय/प्रश्नार्थक)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—प्रश्नार्थक (for what reason/why)

• लोकपालैः: by the world-guardians
• लोकपालैः: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक + पाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लोकस्य पालाः)

• च: and
• च: Discourse (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (and)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्म-भावे प्रयोगे ‘चीर्’ धातोः कर्म (austerity)

• चीर्णम्: performed/practised
• चीर्णम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः (performed)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (formerly/once)

• अनघ: O sinless one
• अनघ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; विशेषण-रूपेण सम्बोधनम्

• नर्मदातटम्: the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः तटम्)

• आश्रित्य: having resorted to
• आश्रित्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (Gerund), ‘having resorted to’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (indeed/for)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6th/Genitive or 4th/Dative), एकवचन; अत्र चतुर्थी-सम्प्रदानार्थे (to me) अधिकयुक्तम्

• वक्तुम्: to tell
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive), ‘to speak’

• अर्हसि: you ought/are fit
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā-taṭa (Revā-tīra)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (respondent)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, humble yet regal, questions the sage about why the Lokapālas performed austerities on the Narmadā bank; the river forms a serene backdrop to the inquiry.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Lokapāla
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places like the Narmadā’s bank are sought for intense tapas, and inquiry into dharma begins with understanding why the great choose such tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā (Revā) riverbank (Narmadā-taṭa), central to the Revā-khaṇḍa’s tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse introduces the theme of tapas performed at the Narmadā’s bank.