Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

एवं मया पुरा दृष्टो युगान्ते सर्वसंक्षयः । वर्जयित्वा महापुण्यां नर्मदां नृपसत्तम

Transliteration

evaṃ mayā purā dṛṣṭo yugānte sarvasaṃkṣayaḥ | varjayitvā mahāpuṇyāṃ narmadāṃ nṛpasattama

Translation

Ainsi, jadis, je vis la dissolution totale à la fin de l’âge ; mais, ô meilleur des rois, seule la Narmadā, d’un mérite suprême, demeura inviolée.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus)

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

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (formerly)

• दृष्टः: was seen
• दृष्टः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि (seen)

• युगान्ते: at the end of the age
• युगान्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युगान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: युगस्य अन्तः

• सर्वसंक्षयः: total destruction
• सर्वसंक्षयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + संक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थः: सर्वस्य संक्षयः

• वर्जयित्वा: excluding
• वर्जयित्वा: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वर्ज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): having excluded

• महापुण्याम्: very holy
• महापुण्याम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: महत् पुण्यम् यस्याः सा

• नर्मदाम्: Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: नृपाणां सत्तमः

Speaker

Śrī Markaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpasa-ttama (kingly interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic wasteland after dissolution—darkened, emptied—yet a luminous river (Narmadā) continues to flow untouched, personified as a radiant goddess with a calm, protective aura addressing a king through the sage.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Pralaya (yugānta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when cosmic dissolution consumes the worlds, the sanctity of the supreme tīrtha—Narmadā—stands as an enduring refuge of puṇya and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā (Revā) river, celebrated in the Revā Khaṇḍa as a uniquely meritorious sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated in this verse; it establishes Narmadā’s exceptional holiness, implying the merit of approaching her through snāna, darśana, and tīrtha-sevā.