Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

मम पादतलं प्राप्य वह त्रिपथगामिनि । यदा बहूदककाले नर्मदाजलसंभृता

Transliteration

mama pādatalaṃ prāpya vaha tripathagāmini | yadā bahūdakakāle narmadājalasaṃbhṛtā

Translation

«Ô rivière qui chemine par les trois voies, après avoir atteint la plante de Mon pied, poursuis ton cours. Quand viendra la saison des eaux abondantes, tu seras remplie des eaux de la Narmadā.»

Word by Word

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• पादतलम्: the sole of (my) foot
• पादतलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पादस्य तलम्)

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): ‘प्राप्य’ = ‘having reached’

• वह: carry, flow
• वह: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्रिपथगामिनि: O three-pathed one (Gaṅgā)
• त्रिपथगामिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + पथ + गामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (त्रिपथं गच्छति इति)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kāla (Temporal marker/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक conjunction/adverb): ‘यदा…तदा’

• बहूदककाले: in the season of much water (flood-time)
• बहूदककाले: Adhikaraṇa (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु + उदक + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (बहु उदकं यस्मिन् काले)

• नर्मदाजलसंभृता: filled with Narmadā’s waters
• नर्मदाजलसंभृता: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नर्मदा + जल + संभृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) ‘संभृता’ = ‘filled’; तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः जलैः संभृता)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from tīrtha-māhātmya command-address style within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) in ‘bahūdaka-kāla’ (abundant-water season)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu instructs Tripathagā to touch his foot-sole and flow onward; the river is envisioned as a goddess-stream connecting realms, later swelling with Narmadā waters.

Characters & Entities

• Tripathagā (Gaṅgā)
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine geography is purposeful: sacred rivers move by the Lord’s ordinance, and their seasonal fullness becomes a vehicle of merit for devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage prepares the praise of Śaṅkhoddhāra-tīrtha in the Revā (Narmadā) region, where sacred waters are described as especially efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; it sets the condition (abundant-water season) that later verses connect to bathing and offerings.