Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 49
सप्तकल्पक्षये जाते यदुक्तं शंभुना पुरा । न मृता तेन राजेन्द्र नर्मदा ख्यातिमागता
saptakalpakṣaye jāte yaduktaṃ śaṃbhunā purā | na mṛtā tena rājendra narmadā khyātimāgatā
Als die Vernichtung von sieben Kalpas eintrat, erwies sich als wahr, was Śambhu einst gesprochen hatte; darum, o bester der Könige, ging Narmadā nicht zugrunde und erlangte so weithin gerühmten Ruhm.
Mārkaṇḍeya (addressing a king; listener implied by 'rājendra')
Tirtha: Narmadā
Type: kshetra
Listener: Rājendra (king)
Scene: A cosmic tableau of kalpa-destruction—dark waters and dissolving worlds—yet a luminous ribbon of Narmadā remains, protected by Śambhu’s decree; a king listens in reverent awe.
FAQs
Tīrtha-glory is portrayed as enduring beyond cosmic cycles; Śiva’s word establishes the river’s imperishable sanctity.
Narmadā is glorified as an enduring sacred river whose sanctity persists through kalpa-endings.
None; the verse is doctrinal, affirming Narmadā’s timeless holiness rather than prescribing a specific rite.