Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तथा कुरु जगन्नाथ यथाहं शर्म चाप्नुयाम् । एवमुक्तस्तु देवेशस्तुष्टः प्रोवाच जाह्नवीम्

Transliteration

tathā kuru jagannātha yathāhaṃ śarma cāpnuyām | evamuktastu deveśastuṣṭaḥ provāca jāhnavīm

Translation

„Handle so, o Herr der Welt, damit auch ich Frieden erlange.“ So angesprochen, sprach der Götterherr, erfreut, zu Jāhnavī.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘तथैव/एवं’

• कुरु: do (it)
• कुरु: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (singular); परस्मैपद

• जगन्नाथ: O Lord of the world
• जगन्नाथ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः नाथः)

• यथा: so that, as
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/उपमानार्थ conjunction/adverb): ‘येन प्रकारेण’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), त्रिलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• शर्म: happiness, welfare
• शर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/coordination particle)

• आप्नुयाम्: may obtain
• आप्नुयाम्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/संभावना), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘एतद्विधेन’

• उक्तः: having been addressed
• उक्तः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘उक्तः’ = ‘addressed/said to’

• तु: then, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/अन्वय particle): ‘तु/अथ’

• देवेशः: the Lord of the gods
• देवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशः)

• तुष्टः: pleased
• तुष्टः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier) देवेशस्य

• प्रोवाच: said, spoke
• प्रोवाच: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग ‘प्र’

• जाह्नवीम्: to Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator within the Purāṇic frame (reports Jāhnavī’s request and Viṣṇu/Deveśa’s response)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-field (Revākhaṇḍa setting)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A supplicant addresses Jagannātha for peace; the pleased Deva turns to speak to Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā personified), setting a sacred decree in motion.

Characters & Entities

• Jagannātha
• Deveśa
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred river seeks divine ordinance so her purifying mission does not become a burden—showing that tīrtha-grace operates under the Lord’s sanction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The river-tīrtha tradition tied to Revā (Narmadā) in this section, with Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) as the addressed deity-persona.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it is a narrative pivot introducing the Lord’s instruction/boon.