Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

एवं ब्राह्मे पुरा कल्पे समुद्भूतेयमीश्वरात् । मात्स्ये कल्पे मया दृष्टा समाख्याता मया शृणु

Transliteration

evaṃ brāhme purā kalpe samudbhūteyamīśvarāt | mātsye kalpe mayā dṛṣṭā samākhyātā mayā śṛṇu

Translation

Thus, in the ancient Brāhma kalpa, she arose from the Lord. In the Mātsya kalpa I beheld her; now I have narrated it—listen and understand.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb: “thus”)

• ब्राह्मे: in the Brāhma (kalpa)
• ब्राह्मे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्राह्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (locative singular: “in the Brāhma [kalpa]”)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb: “formerly/once”)

• कल्पे: in the kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (locative singular)

• समुद्भूता: arisen
• समुद्भूता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+उद्+भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (arisen/produced)

• इयम्: this (she/it)
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun: “this”)

• ईश्वरात्: from the Lord
• ईश्वरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative: “from the Lord”)

• मात्स्ये: in the Mātsya (kalpa)
• मात्स्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मात्स्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (locative: “in the Mātsya [kalpa]”)

• कल्पे: in the kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (instrumental: “by me”)

• दृष्टा: seen
• दृष्टा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (seen)

• समाख्याता: related
• समाख्याता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+आ+ख्या (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (told/related)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• शृणु: hear (listen)
• शृणु: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpasattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-narrator situates the origin of Revā across kalpas, gesturing to a cosmic timeline—Brahmā’s kalpa, Matsya kalpa—inviting the king/listener to attentive hearing.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Narmadā
• Brāhma Kalpa
• Mātsya Kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic truth is framed as trans-cosmic remembrance—holy rivers and their glory are affirmed across kalpas through realized seers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā/Revā is glorified as an eternal tīrtha whose origin and sanctity are asserted across multiple kalpas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse establishes narrative authority and cosmological continuity rather than ritual details.