Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

नर्मदायास्तटे तेन स्थापितः परमेश्वरः । तेनैव कारणेनासौ नर्मदेश्वर उच्यते

Transliteration

narmadāyāstaṭe tena sthāpitaḥ parameśvaraḥ | tenaiva kāraṇenāsau narmadeśvara ucyate

Translation

Am Ufer der Narmadā wurde von ihm der höchste Herr, Parameśvara, eingesetzt; und aus eben diesem Grund wird Er «Narmadeśvara» genannt.

Word by Word

• नर्मदायाः: of the Narmadā
• नर्मदायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (fem., genitive singular)

• तटे: on the bank
• तटे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc., locative singular)

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental singular pronoun)

• स्थापितः: was installed
• स्थापितः: Kriyā (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) [णिच्: स्थापय-]
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (past passive participle; masc., nominative singular)

• परमेश्वरः: Parameśvara (Supreme Lord)
• परमेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (परमः ईश्वरः) (masc., nominative singular)

• तेन: by that; for that
• तेन: Karana (Cause-marker/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (Avadhāraṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (indeclinable particle of emphasis)

• कारणेन: because of the reason
• कारणेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, instrumental singular)

• असौ: he, that one
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc., nominative singular pronoun)

• नर्मदेश्वरः: Lord of the Narmadā (Narmadeśvara)
• नर्मदेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः ईश्वरः) (masc., nominative singular)

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (present passive: 'is called')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Revā Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadeśvara

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene Narmadā riverbank with a freshly established liṅga/Īśvara shrine; flowing river, ghāṭ-like steps or natural stones; devotees offering water; the name ‘Narmadeśvara’ implied by river presence.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Parameśvara
• Narmadeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred place-name in Purāṇic tradition often preserves the memory of a devotional act—here, Śiva’s installation on the Narmadā bank becomes the basis of His celebrated name.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadeśvara Tīrtha—Śiva as worshipped on the bank of the river Narmadā, within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpana (establishing/enshrining Parameśvara) is referenced as the founding act behind the site’s sanctity.