Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

गौरुवाच । किमहं विस्मृता तुभ्यं विश्वरूपा महेश्वरी । नर्मदा धर्मदा न्ःणां स्वर्गशर्मबलप्रदा

Transliteration

gauruvāca | kimahaṃ vismṛtā tubhyaṃ viśvarūpā maheśvarī | narmadā dharmadā nḥṇāṃ svargaśarmabalapradā

Translation

Gaurī dit : «M’as-tu oubliée ? Je suis Maheśvarī, de forme universelle—je suis Narmadā, dispensatrice du dharma aux êtres, accordant la félicité du ciel et la force d’y parvenir».

Word by Word

• गौः: the cow (Gaurī in cow-form)
• गौः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विस्मृता: forgotten
• विस्मृता: Kriyā (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + √स्मृ (धातु) + क्त → विस्मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘forgotten’ (passive sense)

• तुभ्यम्: by you / to you
• तुभ्यम्: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative), एकवचन

• विश्वरूपा: of universal form
• विश्वरूपा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्व-रूप (प्रातिपदिक; components: विश्व + रूप)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय ‘विश्वं रूपं यस्याः/या’

• महेश्वरी: Maheshvarī (the Great Goddess)
• महेश्वरी: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर-ई (प्रातिपदिक; from महेश्वर + ई)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवी-नाम

• नर्मदा: Narmadā
• नर्मदा: Karta/Apposition
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• धर्मदा: giver of dharma
• धर्मदा: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म-द (प्रातिपदिक; components: धर्म + द)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष ‘धर्मं ददाति’

• नृणाम्: of men, of people
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• स्वर्गशर्मबलप्रदा: bestower of heaven, bliss, and strength
• स्वर्गशर्मबलप्रदा: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्ग-शर्म-बल-प्रद (प्रातिपदिक; components: स्वर्ग + शर्म + बल + प्रद)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समास: ‘स्वर्गं च शर्म च बलं च प्रददाति’ (अर्थतः)

Speaker

Gaurī (identified here with Narmadā; Viśvarūpā Maheśvarī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The distressed speaker (contextually the one seeking refuge)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaurī speaks in revelation: she declares herself as Viśvarūpā Maheshvarī and as Narmadā, the dharma-giver; the river is envisioned as a goddess with cosmic form rising from the waters.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī
• Maheśvarī
• Narmadā (Revā)
• Svarga
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred river is not merely water but the Goddess herself—Śiva’s śakti—who grants dharma, strength, and heavenly well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā/Revā is explicitly glorified as a divine tīrtha identified with Gaurī Maheśvarī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription here; the verse states the phala (benefits): dharma, svarga-sukha, and bala through connection with Narmadā.