Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

गंगारेवामुखीनां तु नदीनामधिदेवताः । शोणह्रदपुरोगाणां ह्रदानां चाधिदेवताः

Transliteration

gaṃgārevāmukhīnāṃ tu nadīnāmadhidevatāḥ | śoṇahradapurogāṇāṃ hradānāṃ cādhidevatāḥ

Translation

Es kamen die Schutzgottheiten der Flüsse, angeführt von Gaṅgā und Revā, und ebenso die Schutzgottheiten der Seen, angeführt vom Śoṇa-hrada.

Word by Word

• गंगारेवामुखीनाम्: of the rivers headed by Gaṅgā and Revā
• गंगारेवामुखीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गारेवामुखी (प्रातिपदिक; गङ्गा + रेवा + मुखी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (गङ्गा-रेवा इति) + मुखी (मुख-प्रवृत्ता) इति विशेषणम्; नदीनाम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• नदीनाम्: of rivers
• नदीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• अधिदेवताः: presiding deities
• अधिदेवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधिदेवता (प्रातिपदिक; अधि + देवता)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (अधि-देवता = presiding deity)

• शोणह्रदपुरोगाणाम्: of those headed by Śoṇa-hrada
• शोणह्रदपुरोगाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोणह्रदपुरोग (प्रातिपदिक; शोणह्रद + पुरोग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (शोणह्रदः पुरोगः येषाम्) इति; ह्रदानाम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ह्रदानाम्: of lakes/ponds
• ह्रदानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अधिदेवताः: presiding deities
• अधिदेवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधिदेवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā; Revā (Narmadā); Śoṇa-hrada (and other hradas)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand watery retinue: Gaṅgā and Revā personified as goddesses with flowing garments, accompanied by lesser river-deities; lake-deities emerge from lotus-filled hradas, carrying lotuses and water-jars, moving toward a celestial court.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Revā (Narmadā)
• Śoṇa-hrada
• Nadī-devatāḥ
• Hrada-devatāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Waters are not merely physical; rivers and lakes are revered as sacred presences with divine guardians.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies sacred waters broadly, especially rivers like Gaṅgā and Revā and lakes like Śoṇa-hrada.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the implication aligns with tīrtha practices such as darśana and snāna at sacred waters.