Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

कावेरी कृष्णवेणी च रेवा च यमुना तथा । गोदावरी वितस्ता च चन्द्रभागा इरावती

Transliteration

kāverī kṛṣṇaveṇī ca revā ca yamunā tathā | godāvarī vitastā ca candrabhāgā irāvatī

Translation

Kāverī et Kṛṣṇaveṇī, Revā et Yamunā ; Godāvarī et Vitastā, Candrabhāgā et Irāvatī : ces rivières illustres sont proclamées dans ce récit sacré.

Word by Word

• कावेरी: Kāverī
• कावेरी: Karta (Enumerated subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कावेरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• कृष्णवेणी: Kṛṣṇaveṇī (the dark-braided river)
• कृष्णवेणी: Karta (Enumerated subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण + वेणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमासः (कृष्णा वेणी); स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• रेवा: Revā
• रेवा: Karta (Enumerated subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• यमुना: Yamunā
• यमुना: Karta (Enumerated subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb/conjunction), समुच्चय/तुल्यत्वार्थे (also/likewise)

• गोदावरी: Godāvarī
• गोदावरी: Karta (Enumerated subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोदावरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• वितस्ता: Vitastā
• वितस्ता: Karta (Enumerated subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वितस्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• चन्द्रभागा: Candrabhāgā
• चन्द्रभागा: Karta (Enumerated subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र + भागा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमासः (चन्द्रा भागा/चन्द्रभागा); स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• इरावती: Irāvatī
• इरावती: Karta (Enumerated subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इरावती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa), contextually narrating the Revā-khaṇḍa account to the sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pan-Indian Nadī-tīrthas (Kāverī, Kṛṣṇā, Revā, Yamunā, Godāvarī, Vitastā, Candrabhāgā, Irāvatī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred panorama: eight river-goddesses in procession, each carrying her emblematic vessel/lotus, with stylized streams flowing from different directions converging into a single sanctified narrative space.

Characters & Entities

• Kāverī
• Kṛṣṇaveṇī
• Revā (Narmadā)
• Yamunā
• Godāvarī
• Vitastā
• Candrabhāgā
• Irāvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembering and honoring the great rivers is a Purāṇic way of venerating tīrthas—living embodiments of sanctity that purify and sustain dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Revā (Narmadā) within Revā Khaṇḍa, while the verse also invokes multiple pan-Indian sacred rivers as tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed in this verse; it functions as a sacred enumeration (smaraṇa) of revered rivers.