Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

किमन्यैः सरितां तोयैः सेवितैस्तु सहस्रशः । यदि संसेव्यते तोयं रेवायाः पापनाशनम्

Transliteration

kimanyaiḥ saritāṃ toyaiḥ sevitaistu sahasraśaḥ | yadi saṃsevyate toyaṃ revāyāḥ pāpanāśanam

Translation

À quoi bon recourir aux eaux d’autres rivières, fût-ce des milliers de fois, si l’on boit et sert avec dévotion l’eau de Revā, destructrice des péchés ?

Word by Word

• किम्: what (use?)
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• अन्यैः: with other (things)
• अन्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• सरिताम्: of rivers
• सरिताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• तोयैः: by waters
• तोयैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• सेवितैः: used/served (resorted to)
• सेवितैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) प्रयुक्त विशेषणरूपेण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• सहस्रशः: a thousandfold, repeatedly
• सहस्रशः: Kriya (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; बहुवारं (thousands of times)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Conditional/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक (if)

• संसेव्यते: is resorted to, is used
• संसेव्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + सेव् (धातु; आत्मनेपद)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (is resorted to/served); उपसर्ग: सम्

• तोयम्: water
• तोयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• रेवायाः: of Revā (Narmadā)
• रेवायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• पाप-नाशनम्: sin-destroying
• पाप-नाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी): पापस्य नाशनम्; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees at a Narmadā ghāṭa offering arghya and taking snāna; in the background, faint silhouettes of other rivers fade, emphasizing Revā’s singular power.

Characters & Entities

• Revā
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Revā’s water is presented as uniquely purifying; sincere resort to it surpasses repeated resort to other waters.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā herself—her water is treated as the core tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sevā/saṃsevana of Revā’s water—understood as reverent use such as sipping (ācamana), bathing (snāna), and ritual application.