Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 28
रुद्रप्रसादान्मुक्त्वा मां नर्मदां चाप्ययोनिजाम् । युगानामयुतं देवो मया चाद्य बुभक्षणात्
rudraprasādānmuktvā māṃ narmadāṃ cāpyayonijām | yugānāmayutaṃ devo mayā cādya bubhakṣaṇāt
Durch Rudras Gnade, indem er mich und auch die nicht aus einem Schoß Geborene, Narmadā, verschonte, enthielt sich der Gott (der Auflösung) zehntausend Yugas lang des Verschlingens; und bis heute verschlingt er sie nicht.
Narrator in the Revā Khaṇḍa (contextual purāṇic voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa relating the māhātmya)
Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā)
Type: river
Scene: Amid a devouring cosmic dissolution deity, a luminous ribbon of Narmadā remains untouched; Rudra’s gesture of grace forms a protective aura around the river and the speaking entity, while time cycles (yugas) are suggested as turning wheels.
FAQs
Śiva/Rudra’s grace can place a sacred tīrtha beyond the reach of cosmic destruction, showing the supremacy of divine protection over time.
Narmadā (Revā), praised as an imperishable tīrtha protected by Rudra.
No explicit ritual is stated; the verse explains the theological basis for Narmadā’s exceptional sanctity.