Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5
नर्मदां सेवते नित्यं स्वयं देवो महेश्वरः । तेन पुण्या नदी ज्ञेया ब्रह्महत्यापहारिणी
narmadāṃ sevate nityaṃ svayaṃ devo maheśvaraḥ | tena puṇyā nadī jñeyā brahmahatyāpahāriṇī
Mahēśvara lui-même sert sans cesse la Narmadā ; qu’on sache donc qu’elle est une rivière d’un mérite souverain, qui efface même le péché du meurtre d’un brāhmane.
Śiva (self-referential praise within Śaiva framing; consistent with surrounding ‘parameśvaraḥ’ statements)
Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pāṇḍava (nṛpa)
Scene: Śiva in ascetic splendor on the riverbank, offering reverence to the flowing Narmadā—either washing his hands, offering bilva, or standing beside a liṅga as the river glides past; the river radiates as a purifier, with a symbolic dark stain dissolving in her waters.
FAQs
A tīrtha becomes supremely authoritative when endorsed by divine practice; Narmadā’s sanctity is grounded in Śiva’s own reverence.
The Narmadā (Revā) river, presented as exceptionally purifying within the Revā Khaṇḍa.
The verse implies tīrtha-sevā (reverent worship/service) and purification; it highlights expiatory power (prāyaścitta) for even the gravest sins.