Shloka 2 - Adhyaya 1 - Reva Khanda - Avanti Khanda | English | Vedapath

Vyasa

Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

ॐ नमः श्रीपुरुषोत्तमाय । ॐ नमः श्रीनर्मदायै । ॐ नमो हरिहरहिरण्यगर्भेभ्यो नमो व्यासवाल्मीकिशुकपराशरेभ्यो नमो गुरुगोब्राह्मणेभ्यः । ॐ मज्जन्मातङ्गगण्डच्युतमदमदिरामोदमत्तालिमालं स्नानैः सिद्धाङ्गनानां कुचयुगविगलत्कुङ्कुमासङ्गपिङ्गम् । सायं प्रातर्मुनीनां कुसुमचयसमाच्छन्नतीरस्थवृक्षं पायाद्वो नर्मदाम्भः करिमकरकराक्रान्तरहंस्तरंगम्

Transliteration

oṃ namaḥ śrīpuruṣottamāya | oṃ namaḥ śrīnarmadāyai | oṃ namo hariharahiraṇyagarbhebhyo namo vyāsavālmīkiśukaparāśarebhyo namo gurugobrāhmaṇebhyaḥ | oṃ majjanmātaṅgagaṇḍacyutamadamadirāmodamattālimālaṃ snānaiḥ siddhāṅganānāṃ kucayugavigalatkuṅkumāsaṅgapiṅgam | sāyaṃ prātarmunīnāṃ kusumacayasamācchannatīrasthavṛkṣaṃ pāyādvo narmadāmbhaḥ karimakarakarākrāntarahaṃstaraṃgam

Translation

Om—salutations to the auspicious Puruṣottama; Om—salutations to the revered Narmadā (Revā). Salutations to Hari, Hara, and Hiraṇyagarbha; salutations to Vyāsa, Vālmīki, Śuka, and Parāśara; salutations to the Guru, the Cow, and the Brāhmaṇas. May the waters of Narmadā protect you—waters perfumed by the intoxicating ichor streaming from the cheeks of bathing elephants, and tinged with saffron washed from the bosoms of Siddha maidens as they bathe; waters whose riverbank trees are covered with heaps of blossoms gathered by sages at dawn and dusk; waters whose waves are stirred by the hands of elephants and crocodiles, and upon which swans glide.

Word by Word

oṃOṃ

namaḥsalutation

śrīpuruṣottamāyato Śrī Puruṣottama

oṃOṃ

namaḥsalutation

śrīnarmadāyaito Śrī Narmadā

oṃOṃ

namosalutation

hariharahiraṇyagarbhebhyaḥto Hari, Hara, and Hiraṇyagarbha

namosalutation

vyāsavālmīkiśukaparāśarebhyaḥto Vyāsa, Vālmīki, Śuka, and Parāśara

namosalutation

gurugobrāhmaṇebhyaḥto gurus, cows, and brāhmaṇas

oṃOṃ

majjanmātaṅgagaṇḍacyutamadamadirāmodamattālimālam(water) with a garland of bees intoxicated by the fragrant ichor of bathing elephants

snānaiḥby (their) bathing

siddhāṅganānāmof the Siddha maidens

kucayugavigalatkuṅkumāsaṅgapiṅgamyellowed by saffron dripping from pairs of breasts

sāyamin the evening

prātarin the morning

munīnāmof sages

kusumacayasamācchannatīrasthavṛkṣam(water) with bank-side trees covered by masses of flowers

pāyātmay protect

voyou; for you

narmadāmbhaḥthe waters of Narmadā

karimakarakarākrāntarahaṃstaraṃgam(water) with waves thronged by elephants, makaras, and swans

Speaker

Sūta (deduced maṅgalācaraṇa/narratorial invocation in Purāṇic style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lush Narmadā panorama: elephants bathing with fragrant ichor, siddha maidens bathing with saffron-tinted water, sages gathering blossoms at dawn and dusk under flowering riverbank trees, swans gliding, crocodiles and makaras stirring waves; above, a maṅgala panel with ‘ॐ नमः’ salutations to Puruṣottama and Narmadā, and to Hari-Hara-Hiraṇyagarbha and the sages.

Characters & Entities

Puruṣottama

Narmadā (Revā)

Hari (Viṣṇu)

Hara (Śiva)

Hiraṇyagarbha (Brahmā)

Vyāsa

Vālmīki

Śuka

Parāśara

Guru

Go (Cow)

Brāhmaṇa

Siddha

Muni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Begin sacred study by honoring God, the holy river, the rishis, and dharmic pillars (guru, cow, brāhmaṇas); then receive the river’s protective grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The river Narmadā (Revā) herself—praised as a living tīrtha whose waters sanctify and protect.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing/immersion) in the Narmadā is implied as a sanctifying act, framing the river as a purifier and protector.