Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

लेखापयित्वा सकलं नर्मदाचरितं शुभम् । उत्तमं सर्वशास्त्रेभ्यो यो ददाति द्विजन्मने

Transliteration

lekhāpayitvā sakalaṃ narmadācaritaṃ śubham | uttamaṃ sarvaśāstrebhyo yo dadāti dvijanmane

Translation

Quiconque fait écrire en entier le récit auspicious de Narmadā, et l’offre—suprême entre toutes les Écritures—à un « deux-fois-né » (brāhmaṇa)…

Word by Word

• लेखापयित्वा: having caused (it) to be written
• लेखापयित्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लेखापय् (धातु; लेख् + णिच्)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having caused to write’ (causative)

• सकलम्: entire
• सकलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• नर्मदा: of Narmadā
• नर्मदा: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• चरितम्: account/deeds
• चरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; चरितम् इति विशेषणम्

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; (चरितम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• सर्वशास्त्रेभ्यः: than all scriptures / from all scriptures
• सर्वशास्त्रेभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वाणि शास्त्राणि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), बहुवचन; अपादानार्थे (comparison/source)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• ददाति: gives
• ददाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• द्विजन्मने: to a twice-born (Brāhmaṇa etc.)
• द्विजन्मने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; सम्प्रदानार्थे

Speaker

Deductive (Revākhaṇḍa narrative voice; traditionally Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa conveying the Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā-carita (complete)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A scribe completes a palm-leaf manuscript titled ‘Narmadā-carita’; later, a donor presents it with cloth and dakṣiṇā to a seated brāhmaṇa near a riverside shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Dvija (twice-born)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supporting preservation and transmission of sacred tradition—by copying and gifting scripture—is praised as a high form of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā (Revā) through her “carita” (sacred narrative) as an object of veneration and dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Have the Narmadā-carita copied (lekhāpayitvā) and donate it as śāstra-dāna to a dvija.