Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

गङ्गा कनखले पुण्या कुरुक्षेत्रे सरस्वती । ग्रामे वा यदि वारण्ये पुण्या सर्वत्र नर्मदा

Transliteration

gaṅgā kanakhale puṇyā kurukṣetre sarasvatī | grāme vā yadi vāraṇye puṇyā sarvatra narmadā

Translation

Die Gaṅgā ist in Kanakhala heilig; Sarasvatī ist in Kurukṣetra heilig. Doch ob im Dorf oder im Wald: Narmadā ist überall heilig.

Word by Word

• गङ्गा: Ganga (river)
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कनखले: in Kanakhala
• कनखले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनखल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुण्या: holy, meritorious
• पुण्या: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying)

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: in Kurukshetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुक्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• सरस्वती: Sarasvati (river)
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ग्रामे: in a village
• ग्रामे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle: 'if')

• वारण्ये: in a forest
• वारण्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); 'व' उपसर्गसदृश-पूर्वपद (in the sense of 'or/indeed')

• पुण्या: holy
• पुण्या: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• सर्वत्र: everywhere
• सर्वत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place: 'everywhere')

• नर्मदा: Narmada (river)
• नर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Reva)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: three rivers personified—Gaṅgā near Kanakhala ghāṭs, Sarasvatī at Kurukṣetra’s sacred plain, and Narmadā flowing through both village steps and forest ravines, radiating equal sanctity everywhere.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Gaṅgā
• Sarasvatī
• Kanakhala
• Kurukṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Some tīrthas are celebrated as especially potent at specific locales, while Narmadā is praised as inherently sanctifying throughout her course.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Primarily Narmadā (as universally holy), with references to Gaṅgā at Kanakhala and Sarasvatī at Kurukṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse guides pilgrimage understanding—Narmadā’s sanctity is not restricted to a single spot.