Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

त्रिभिः सारस्वतं तोयं सप्ताहेन तु यामुनम् । सद्यः पुनाति गाङ्गेयं दर्शनादेव नार्मदम्

Transliteration

tribhiḥ sārasvataṃ toyaṃ saptāhena tu yāmunam | sadyaḥ punāti gāṅgeyaṃ darśanādeva nārmadam

Translation

L’eau de Sarasvatī purifie en trois jours, et celle de Yamunā en sept. L’eau de la Gaṅgā purifie sur-le-champ ; mais Narmadā purifie par la seule vision.

Word by Word

• त्रिभिः: by/within three (days)
• त्रिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• सारस्वतम्: Sarasvata (of Sarasvati)
• सारस्वतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सरस्वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• तोयम्: water
• तोयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• सप्ताहेन: by/within a week
• सप्ताहेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्ताह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: 'but/indeed')

• यामुनम्: Yamuna (water)
• यामुनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (यमुना-सम्बन्धि)

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: 'immediately')

• पुनाति: purifies
• पुनाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद; धातु: पू (to purify)

• गाङ्गेयम्: Ganga-water (Gangean)
• गाङ्गेयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + एय (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); तद्धितान्त-विशेषण (descendant/of Ganga)

• दर्शनात्: from (mere) seeing
• दर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle: 'only/indeed')

• नार्मदम्: Narmada(-water)
• नार्मदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + अण् (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); तद्धितान्त-विशेषण (pertaining to Narmada)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Reva)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A four-river allegory: Sarasvatī with a ‘three-day’ motif (three suns/moons), Yamunā with ‘seven-day’ motif (seven lunar phases), Gaṅgā with instantaneous radiance upon touch, and Narmadā emitting a halo that purifies devotees merely by sight.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Gaṅgā
• Sarasvatī
• Yamunā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic vision emphasizes degrees of tīrtha-power, culminating in Narmadā’s exceptional sanctity where even darśana (sight) grants purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā is uniquely praised as purifying by mere sight, alongside comparisons with Sarasvatī, Yamunā, and Gaṅgā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, darśana and contact with tīrtha-water are valued; the verse highlights time-based purification for some rivers versus immediate merit for Narmadā.