Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

सङ्गमे देवनद्याश्च शूलभेदे नृपोत्तम । द्विगुणं पादहीनं स्यात्करजासंगमे तथा

Transliteration

saṅgame devanadyāśca śūlabhede nṛpottama | dviguṇaṃ pādahīnaṃ syātkarajāsaṃgame tathā

Translation

Au confluent de la rivière divine Devā-nadī, et à Śūlabheda, ô meilleur des rois, le fruit du mérite devient « le double moins un quart » ; de même au confluent de la Karajā.

Word by Word

• सङ्गमे: at the confluence
• सङ्गमे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• देवनद्याः: of the divine river
• देवनद्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवनदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—देव + नदी (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• शूलभेदे: at Śūlabheda (place-name)
• शूलभेदे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूलभेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—शूल + भेद (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-भावे, तत्पुरुष)

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—नृप + उत्तम (कर्मधारय)

• द्विगुणम्: double
• द्विगुणम्: Karma/Predicative (Object/Complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्विगुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; समासः—द्वि + गुण (कर्मधारय)

• पादहीनम्: lacking a quarter (one-fourth less)
• पादहीनम्: Karma/Predicative (Complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पादहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—पाद + हीन (तत्पुरुष)

• स्यात्: would be / should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• करजासङ्गमे: at the confluence of (river) Karajā
• करजासङ्गमे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करजा-सङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—करजा + सङ्गम (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā Khaṇḍa narrative voice, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devā-saṅgama; Śūlabheda; Karajā-saṅgama

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal pilgrim listens to a sage describing Revā’s confluences; the river forks into two streams meeting under a sacred tree, with small shrines marking Devā, Karajā, and the ominous ‘Śūlabheda’ rock cleft.

Characters & Entities

• Devā-nadī
• Śūlabheda
• Karajā (river)
• Revā (Narmadā)
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage merit is described with nuanced gradations, underscoring the distinctive sanctity of each tīrtha on the Revā route.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Devā-nadī confluence, Śūlabheda, and the Karajā confluence with Revā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A specific merit-calculus: the fruit at these sites is stated as ‘twofold, diminished by a quarter’ (dviguṇa pāda-hīna).