Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

नर्मदातटमाश्रित्य चातिघोरमनुत्तमम् । दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं च कृच्छ्रचान्द्रायणं नृप

Transliteration

narmadātaṭamāśritya cātighoramanuttamam | divyaṃ varṣasahasraṃ ca kṛcchracāndrāyaṇaṃ nṛpa

Translation

Am Ufer der Narmadā verweilend, o König, vollzog er eine unvergleichliche und überaus strenge Übung: das kṛcchra-cāndrāyaṇa-Gelübde, tausend göttliche Jahre lang.

Word by Word

• नर्मदातटम्: the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा-तट (प्रातिपदिक; नर्मदा + तट)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म (object of gerund)

• आश्रित्य: having taken refuge at; having resorted to
• आश्रित्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (gerund/absolutive) अव्यय — ‘having resorted to’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अतिघोरम्: very terrible; extremely severe
• अतिघोरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिघोर (प्रातिपदिक; अति + घोर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed; excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; अन् + उत्तम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• वर्षसहस्रम्: a thousand years
• वर्षसहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष-सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; वर्ष + सहस्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (measure of time)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• कृच्छ्रचान्द्रायणम्: the severe Cāndrāyaṇa penance
• कृच्छ्रचान्द्रायणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र-चान्द्रायण (प्रातिपदिक; कृच्छ्र + चान्द्रायण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तपोविधि-संज्ञा

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Karañja on the Narmadā bank under a waxing/waning moon cycle, emaciated yet luminous, counting days of cāndrāyaṇa; the river glints under moonlight, a small kuṭīra nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Karañja
• kṛcchra-cāndrāyaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Revā (Narmadā) is upheld as a power-place for transformation, where steadfast vrata and tapas mature into spiritual accomplishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The bank of the Narmadā (Revā) itself is explicitly praised as the setting of Karañja’s austerities within the Revā Khaṇḍa sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kṛcchra-cāndrāyaṇa is mentioned—a rigorous penance/vow associated with regulated intake aligned to lunar discipline; the verse emphasizes its extreme severity and long duration.