Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

उत्तरं नर्मदाकूलं ये श्रेष्ठा मुनिपुंगवाः । देवलोकं गताः पूर्वमिति शास्त्रस्य निश्चयः

Transliteration

uttaraṃ narmadākūlaṃ ye śreṣṭhā munipuṃgavāḥ | devalokaṃ gatāḥ pūrvamiti śāstrasya niścayaḥ

Translation

Les sages les plus éminents qui demeurent sur la rive nord de la Narmadā atteignent d’abord Devaloka, le monde des dieux : telle est la conclusion arrêtée du śāstra.

Word by Word

• uttaram: northern
• uttaram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (narmadākūlam)

• narmadākūlam: the bank of the Narmadā
• narmadākūlam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā-kūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (narmadāyāḥ kūlam)

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• śreṣṭhāḥ: excellent
• śreṣṭhāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (munipuṃgavāḥ)

• munipuṃgavāḥ: bulls among sages, foremost sages
• munipuṃgavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: munipuṃgava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (munīnām puṃgavāḥ)

• devalokam: world of the gods
• devalokam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devaloka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (devānāṃ lokaḥ)

• gatāḥ: gone, having gone
• gatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (कृदन्त; √gam/गम् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/PPP) — gone

• pūrvam: formerly
• pūrvam: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: formerly/before)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• śāstrasya: of the scripture
• śāstrasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• niścayaḥ: certainty, conclusion
• niścayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niścaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual attribution within Revā Khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (north bank)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Northern Narmadā bank with hermitages; sages perform agnihotra and japa; above, a luminous Devaloka with devas receiving them, emphasizing ‘śāstrasya niścayaḥ’.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Devaloka
• śāstra
• muni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Scripture assigns distinct spiritual fruits to sacred directions and banks; the northern Narmadā bank is praised for leading to Devaloka.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The northern bank (uttara-kūla) of the Narmadā/Revā is specifically extolled.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the emphasis is on dwelling/association with the northern Narmadā bank.