Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

तथानिष्टतराणां हि रुद्रस्य वचनं यथा । नर्मदा सरितां श्रेष्ठा रुद्रदेहाद्विनिःसृता

Transliteration

tathāniṣṭatarāṇāṃ hi rudrasya vacanaṃ yathā | narmadā saritāṃ śreṣṭhā rudradehādviniḥsṛtā

Translation

So ist auch Rudras Wort unfehlbar, selbst gegenüber den übelst Gesinnten. Die Narmadā, die Beste unter den Flüssen, strömte aus Rudras eigenem Leib hervor.

Word by Word

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: ‘thus/so’)

• aniṣṭatarāṇām: of the more undesirable (ones)
• aniṣṭatarāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aniṣṭatara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक (सामान्य), षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; तुलनात्मक-विशेषण (comparative)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (निपात)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal)

• rudrasya: of Rudra
• rudrasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• vacanam: word; statement
• vacanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• yathā: as
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (as/just as)

• narmadā: Narmadā (river)
• narmadā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• saritām: of rivers
• saritām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• śreṣṭhā: best
• śreṣṭhā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with narmadā)

• rudra-dehāt: from Rudra’s body
• rudra-dehāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक) + deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘रुद्रस्य देहः’

• viniḥsṛtā: issued forth
• viniḥsṛtā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + nis + √sṛ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with narmadā): ‘having issued forth’

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator praising Narmadā’s divine origin)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic Rudra stands in austere majesty; from his body (often from matted locks or a divine pore) streams the Narmadā as a luminous river-goddess, descending to earth; sages and pilgrims witness in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Narmadā’s sanctity is rooted in her Śaiva origin; what arises from Rudra carries exceptional purifying power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā river itself is glorified as the supreme sacred river within this section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual here; it establishes theological authority for later practices like snāna and pilgrimage on the Narmadā.