Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

न चावाप्ता तु सा कन्या महादेवाङ्गसंभवा । सहोमया ततो देवो जहासोच्चैः पुनःपुनः

Transliteration

na cāvāptā tu sā kanyā mahādevāṅgasaṃbhavā | sahomayā tato devo jahāsoccaiḥ punaḥpunaḥ

Translation

But that maiden—born from the very body of Mahādeva—had not yet been obtained by the one destined for her. Then the Lord, together with Umā, repeatedly laughed aloud.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

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

• अवाप्ता: attained, obtained
• अवाप्ता: Kriyā (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + आप् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: but, however
• तु: Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेष/विरोधार्थक निपात

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• कन्या: the maiden
• कन्या: Karta (Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महादेवाङ्गसंभवा: born from Mahādeva's body
• महादेवाङ्गसंभवा: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective of कन्या)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महादेव + अङ्ग + सम्भवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative: 'born from Mahādeva's limb/body')

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahārtha (Comitative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक उपपद (preposition-like: with)

• उमया: with Umā
• उमया: Sahakāraka (Comitative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/सह), एकवचन; 'सह' इत्युपपद-योगे

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kāla-krama (Sequencing)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनन्तरं/तस्मात् (then/thereupon)

• देवः: the god (Śiva)
• देवः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• जहास: laughed
• जहास: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हस् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• उच्चैः: aloud, loudly
• उच्चैः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उच्चैः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: loudly)

• पुनःपुनः: again and again
• पुनःपुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Frequency)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः + पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास/पुनरुक्त-अव्यय; पुनरावृत्ति-वाचक क्रियाविशेषण

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrating within Revā Khaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) / Śaiva kṣetra ambience

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahādeva with Umā seated in serene majesty; the elusive maiden (born of Śiva’s body) remains unattained; Śiva and Umā laugh repeatedly, while onlookers sense the cosmic joke of grasping at the divine.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Umā (Pārvatī)
• Kanyā (future Narmadā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine līlā (sacred play) underlies tīrtha-origins; the holy river’s manifestation is presented as Śiva’s purposeful, grace-filled act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā sacred geography is being introduced—preparing the listener for the river’s māhātmya as a pan-Indian tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is narrative setup for the river’s divine naming and later tīrtha-merit.