Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

नर्मदापि प्रहृष्टासीत्पावित्र्यं प्राप्य चाद्भुतम् । स्वदेशं च परिप्राप्ता दृष्टमात्राघहारिणी

Transliteration

narmadāpi prahṛṣṭāsītpāvitryaṃ prāpya cādbhutam | svadeśaṃ ca pariprāptā dṛṣṭamātrāghahāriṇī

Translation

Selbst die Narmadā wurde voll Freude, da sie eine wundersame reinigende Kraft erlangte; und in ihr eigenes Land zurückgekehrt, wurde sie zur Tilgerin der Sünden schon durch bloßes Anschauen.

Word by Word

• नर्मदा: Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे ‘also’

• प्रहृष्टा: delighted, joyful
• प्रहृष्टा: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण/subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रहृष्ट (कृदन्त; √हृष् (धातु) + प्र- उपसर्ग, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पावित्र्यम्: purity, sanctity
• पावित्र्यम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पावित्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/gerundial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आप् (धातु) + प्र- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having obtained’

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

• अद्भुतम्: wonderful, marvelous
• अद्भुतम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण/object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मविशेषण

• स्वदेशम्: one’s own region
• स्वदेशम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वदेश (प्रातिपदिक; स्व + देश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘स्वस्य देशः’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

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

• परिप्राप्ता: having reached, arrived
• परिप्राप्ता: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परिप्राप्त (कृदन्त; √आप् (धातु) + परि-प्र- उपसर्ग, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; कर्तृसम्बन्धे ‘having reached/arrived’

• दृष्टमात्राघहारिणी: she who removes sin merely by being seen
• दृष्टमात्राघहारिणी: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण/epithet)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्ट + मात्र + अघ + हारिणी (प्रातिपदिक; √हृ (धातु) + णिनि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—‘दृष्टमात्रेण अघं हरति’ इति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-सन्निकर्ष)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā) / Narmadeśa

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Personified Narmadā as a radiant river-goddess, returning to her own land after receiving wondrous sanctifying power; sages and pilgrims on the banks experience immediate purification by mere sight.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places and sacred rivers gain and bestow purifying power; even mere darśana (seeing) can remove sins when connected to tīrtha-mahātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā river-tīrtha is praised as ‘dṛṣṭamātra-aghahāriṇī’—sin-destroying by mere sight.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated here; the verse emphasizes the merit of darśana (seeing) of Narmadā.