Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

एवं गुणगणाकीर्णो ब्राह्मणो नर्मदातटे । वसते ब्राह्मणैः सार्धं शिलोञ्छवृत्तिजीवनः

Transliteration

evaṃ guṇagaṇākīrṇo brāhmaṇo narmadātaṭe | vasate brāhmaṇaiḥ sārdhaṃ śiloñchavṛttijīvanaḥ

Translation

Ainsi, rempli d’une multitude de vertus, ce brāhmaṇa demeurait sur la rive de la Narmadā, vivant avec d’autres brāhmaṇa et se nourrissant selon le mode de subsistance śiloñcha.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• गुणगणाकीर्णः: filled with a multitude of virtues
• गुणगणाकीर्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक) + आकीर्ण (कृदन्त; आ√कॄ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (गुणगणेन आकीर्णः)

• ब्राह्मणः: the Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नर्मदातटे: on the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातटे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः तटः)

• वसते: dwells
• वसते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणैः: with Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणैः: Sahakari (Instrument/साधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Saha (Association/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (prepositional adverb)

• शिलोञ्छवृत्तिजीवनः: living by the śiloñcha mode of subsistence
• शिलोञ्छवृत्तिजीवनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिलोञ्छ (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + जीवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (शिलोञ्छवृत्त्या जीवनम् यस्य)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā-tīra āśrama-vāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble riverside settlement of brāhmaṇas: thatched huts, yajña-śālā, students, and the protagonist collecting a few fallen grains—no storehouses, no luxury—Narmadā flowing nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Brāhmaṇas
• Śiloñcha-vṛtti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Simplicity and non-dependence (austere livelihood) are praised as supports for purity, learning, and spiritual authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā (Revā) riverbank setting is emphasized, situating the Bhārabhūti tīrtha narrative within Revā’s sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; an exemplary lifestyle is described—śiloñcha-vṛtti as a dharmic, restrained means of living.