Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

कं देशमाश्रिता रेवा कथं श्रीरुद्रसंभवा । तत्संश्रितानि तीर्थानि यानि तानि वदस्व मे

Transliteration

kaṃ deśamāśritā revā kathaṃ śrīrudrasaṃbhavā | tatsaṃśritāni tīrthāni yāni tāni vadasva me

Translation

En quel pays demeure Revā (Narmadā), et comment est-elle la glorieuse née de Rudra ? Dis-moi aussi quels sont les tīrtha établis sur ses rives, quels qu’ils soient.

Word by Word

• kam: which
• kam: Karma (Object/कर्म) — with āśritā
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; interrogative pronoun

• deśam: region/country
• deśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• āśritā: having resorted to / dwelling in
• āśritā: Kriyā (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेष)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√śri (धातु) → āśrita (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; agreeing with revā

• revā: Revā (Narmadā)
• revā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: revā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• katham: how
• katham: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• śrī-rudra-saṃbhavā: born from revered Rudra
• śrī-rudra-saṃbhavā: Kriyā (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेष)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + rudra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃ-√bhū (धातु) → saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘रुद्रात् सम्भवा’ (ablative sense) with honorific śrī-; predicate adjective of revā

• tat-saṃśritāni: resorting to her / situated on her
• tat-saṃśritāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण) of tīrthāni
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + saṃ-√śri (धातु) → saṃśrita (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘तं/तत् संश्रितानि’ = ‘depending on that (river)’; kta-participle

• tīrthāni: sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• tīrthāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) — of relative clause
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• yāni: which
• yāni: Anuyogin (Relative/यत्-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; relative pronoun

• tāni: those
• tāni: Pratiyogin (Correlative/तत्-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; correlative pronoun

• vadasva: tell
• vadasva: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् (vadasva)

• me: to me
• me: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (a questioner addressing Sūta in the Revā Khaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A seeker asks: where does Revā dwell, how is she born of Rudra, and what tīrthas rest upon her—inviting a map-like unfolding of sacred stations.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Rudra (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True understanding of dharma begins with reverent inquiry into sacred origins and sacred geography—knowing the deity-linked source of a tīrtha deepens pilgrimage into devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse introduces the Revā/Narmadā tīrtha-network in general; specific named tīrthas are requested and typically follow in subsequent verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it is a request for the account of origins and the list of tīrthas connected to Revā.