Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

माण्डव्यो नर्मदातीरे काष्ठवत्संजितेन्द्रियः । लीनो माहेश्वरे स्थाने नारायणपदे परे

Transliteration

māṇḍavyo narmadātīre kāṣṭhavatsaṃjitendriyaḥ | līno māheśvare sthāne nārāyaṇapade pare

Translation

Māṇḍavya, sur la rive de la Narmadā, les sens maîtrisés comme un morceau de bois, demeurait absorbé en un lieu sacré de Maheśvara, établi dans la demeure suprême de Nārāyaṇa.

Word by Word

• माण्डव्यः: Māṇḍavya
• माण्डव्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माण्डव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (proper noun)

• नर्मदातीरे: on the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातीरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः तीरम्)

• काष्ठवत्: like a log (motionless)
• काष्ठवत्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: काष्ठ + वत् (अव्ययप्राय-तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमार्थक (like/as)

• संजीतेन्द्रियः: with controlled senses
• संजीतेन्द्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सं + जित + इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (संजीतानि/जितानि इन्द्रियाणि यस्य)

• लीनः: absorbed, merged
• लीनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ली (धातु) → लीन (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• माहेश्वरे: in the Maheśvara (Śiva-related)
• माहेश्वरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माहेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘स्थाने’ इति विशेषणम्

• स्थाने: in the place
• स्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नारायणपदे: in the abode of Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणपदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नारायणस्य पदम्/स्थानम्)

• परे: supreme
• परे: Adhikarana (Qualifier of location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘पदे’ इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Revā Khaṇḍa; specific speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māheśvara-sthāna on Revā associated with Māṇḍavya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the Narmadā bank, sage Māṇḍavya sits motionless like wood, senses withdrawn; behind him a subtle Śiva-linga aura of Maheśvara-sthāna, above him a serene Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa radiance indicating the supreme abode.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍavya
• Narmadā
• Maheśvara
• Nārāyaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True holiness is shown through sense-control and absorption in the Divine; sacred places amplify such tapas and steady the mind toward liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Maheśvara-sthāna on the Narmadā’s bank—within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s praise of Narmadā-region sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, tapas and indriya-nigraha (sense restraint) as a yogic discipline; no explicit external ritual is stated.