Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

एताः षोडशा नद्यो वै भार्यार्थं संव्यवस्थिताः । तदात्मानं विभज्याशु धिष्णीषु स महाद्युतिः

Transliteration

etāḥ ṣoḍaśā nadyo vai bhāryārthaṃ saṃvyavasthitāḥ | tadātmānaṃ vibhajyāśu dhiṣṇīṣu sa mahādyutiḥ

Translation

Ces seize rivières furent établies afin de devenir des épouses ; et Celui de grande splendeur, partageant promptement sa propre essence, la déposa dans leurs demeures, les dhiṣṇis.

Word by Word

• एताः: these
• एताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (Nom./1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• षोडश: sixteen
• षोडश: Visheshana (Adjective of नद्यः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषणम्; स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा, बहुवचनम् (agreeing with नद्यः)

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (Nom./1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle), निश्चयार्थ/प्रसिद्ध्यर्थ (indeed)

• भार्यार्थम्: for (the purpose of) being wives
• भार्यार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषसमासः (भार्यायै अर्थः/for the purpose of being wives); नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (Acc./2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• संव्यवस्थिताः: were arranged/appointed
• संव्यवस्थिताः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + वि + अव + स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; ‘स्थित’ = arranged/established

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object determiner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (Acc./2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• आत्मानम्: self
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (Acc./2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• विभज्य: having divided
• विभज्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + भज् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिकक्रिया (having divided)

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb), शीघ्रार्थे (quickly)

• धिष्णीषु: in the dhiṣṇīs / sacred seats
• धिष्णीषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धिष्णी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी (Loc./7th), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• स: he
• स: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• महाद्युतिः: the great-lustrous one
• महाद्युतिः: Karta (Apposition to स)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + द्युति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमासः (महती द्युतिः यस्य/महाद्युतिः); पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṣoḍaśa-nadī-maṇḍala (sixteen rivers)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant deity (Mahādyuti) radiates sixteen beams, each entering a river-goddess or a stylized river-seat (dhiṣṇi). The composition resembles a mandala: one center, sixteen peripheral sanctuaries, all connected by light and water.

Characters & Entities

• Sixteen sacred rivers
• Dhiṣṇi (abodes/seats)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is not merely physical: rivers are portrayed as divine seats, carrying a share of divine presence and thus serving as living tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the Revā Khaṇḍa’s tīrtha vision broadly, presenting river-abodes (dhiṣṇis) as sanctified loci rather than naming one single site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription appears; it provides mythic grounding for why river-tīrthas are treated as potent abodes of merit.