Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा जन्मशतं पापं गत्वा जन्मशतत्रयम् । स्नात्वा जन्मसहस्रं च हंति रेवा कलौ युगे

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā janmaśataṃ pāpaṃ gatvā janmaśatatrayam | snātvā janmasahasraṃ ca haṃti revā kalau yuge

Translation

Im Kali-Zeitalter vernichtet Revā (Narmadā) die Sünden von hundert Geburten durch bloßes Schauen, von dreihundert durch das Erreichen ihrer Ufer und von tausend durch das Bad in ihren Wassern.

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• जन्मशतम्: a hundred births (worth)
• जन्मशतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म-शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• जन्मशतत्रयम्: three hundred births (worth)
• जन्मशतत्रयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म-शत-त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• जन्मसहस्रम्: a thousand births (worth)
• जन्मसहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म-सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• हन्ति: destroys
• हन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• रेवा: Revā (Narmadā)
• रेवा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), एकवचन (Singular)

• कलौ: in Kali (age)
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• युगे: in the age
• युगे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Vasiṣṭha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Reva (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śrī Rāma

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim sequence in three panels: (1) seeing Narmadā from afar, (2) reaching her bank, (3) bathing—each dissolving layers of dark ‘sin’ into luminous water; the river appears as Reva Devī blessing devotees.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Revā (Narmadā)
• Kali Yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali Yuga, divine grace is made accessible—simple acts like seeing, reaching, and bathing in a tīrtha yield immense purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā, i.e., the river Narmadā, is explicitly praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A graded practice is implied: darśana (seeing), tīrtha-gamana (going), and snāna (bathing) in the Narmadā.