Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । नर्मदा सरितां श्रेष्ठा सर्वपापप्रणाशिनी । तारयेत्सर्वभूतानि स्थावराणि चराणि च

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | narmadā saritāṃ śreṣṭhā sarvapāpapraṇāśinī | tārayetsarvabhūtāni sthāvarāṇi carāṇi ca

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „Narmadā ist die Beste der Flüsse, Vernichterin aller Sünden. Sie führt alle Wesen hinüber, die unbeweglichen wie die beweglichen.“

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—श्री + मार्कण्डेय

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

• नर्मदा: Narmadā
• नर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सरिताम्: of rivers
• सरिताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• श्रेष्ठा: best
• श्रेष्ठा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (विशेषण)

• सर्वपापप्रणाशिनी: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपापप्रणाशिनी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + प्रणाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—सर्वेषां पापानां प्रणाशिनी

• तारयेत्: would ferry across, would deliver
• तारयेत्: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु) [कारणार्थे/णिच्]
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सर्वभूतानि: all beings
• सर्वभूतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वभूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—सर्वाणि भूतानि

• स्थावराणि: immobile (beings)
• स्थावराणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थावर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (विशेषण)

• चराणि: mobile (beings)
• चराणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (विशेषण)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya proclaims Narmadā’s supremacy; the river is envisioned as a radiant goddess-river, washing away dark ‘pāpa’ clouds; beings—humans, animals, trees—are shown blessed along her banks.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with a truly sacred tīrtha is portrayed as universally purifying—its grace extends beyond humans to all forms of life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā (Revā) river as the foremost purifier among rivers.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is stated; the verse asserts the intrinsic salvific and sin-destroying power of Narmadā.