श्र्युवाच । विस्मृताहं कथं विप्र दृष्ट्वा कल्पे पुरातने । मा तेऽभूत्स्मृतिविभ्रंशः सा चाहं कल्पवाहिनी
śryuvāca | vismṛtāhaṃ kathaṃ vipra dṛṣṭvā kalpe purātane | mā te'bhūtsmṛtivibhraṃśaḥ sā cāhaṃ kalpavāhinī
The blessed lady said: “How could I be forgotten, O brāhmaṇa, when you have seen me in an ancient kalpa? Let there be no confusion in your memory—I am she, the one who endures from kalpa to kalpa.”
Śrī (the blessed goddess-like maiden; a divine female speaker within the narrative)
Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā
Type: kshetra
Listener: vipra/brāhmaṇa
Scene: The river-goddess speaks with calm authority, her form blending with flowing waters; the sage listens, astonished, as time (kalpa) is invoked like a living horizon.
Purāṇic sacred history transcends ordinary time; divine presences and tīrtha-glories recur across kalpas, stabilizing faith beyond fleeting perception.
Revā-kṣetra is implied as a timeless sacred theatre where kalpa-spanning divine encounters occur.
No direct ritual is prescribed; the verse clarifies identity and removes doubt, preparing for māhātmya instruction.