Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

शिवेन स्थापिते पूर्वं कावेर्याद्यभिरक्षके । लक्षेण रक्षिता देवी नर्मदा बहुकल्पगा

Transliteration

śivena sthāpite pūrvaṃ kāveryādyabhirakṣake | lakṣeṇa rakṣitā devī narmadā bahukalpagā

Translation

Autrefois, Śiva les établit comme gardiens, en commençant par la Kāverī. La déesse Narmadā —qui s’écoule à travers de nombreux âges— fut protégée par cent mille (gardiens).

Word by Word

• शिवेन: by Śiva
• शिवेन: Kartr-karana (कर्तृ-करण/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्थापिते: when (it was) established
• स्थापिते: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) णिच् (causative) स्थापय्; क्त-प्रत्यय
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• पूर्वम्: formerly/earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kala (काल/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभावप्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• कावेरी-आद्य-अभिरक्षके: (as) protector of Kāverī and others
• कावेरी-आद्य-अभिरक्षके: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative absolute complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कावेरी (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + अभिरक्षक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कावेरी-आदीनाम् अभिरक्षकः)

• लक्षेण: by a lakh (one hundred thousand)
• लक्षेण: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• रक्षिता: was protected
• रक्षिता: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु); क्त-प्रत्यय
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (having been protected)

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• नर्मदा: Narmadā
• नर्मदा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); देवी-सम्बोधन/अप्पोजिशन (apposition to devī)

• बहु-कल्प-गा: lasting through many kalpas
• बहु-कल्प-गा: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + कल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (बहून् कल्पान् गच्छति/व्याप्नोति)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purana narrative framework)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva in a cosmic posture ‘appointing’ guardians to great rivers; Narmadā-devī flows luminous through ages, surrounded by a vast protective host; Kāverī appears as an earlier exemplar in the sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Kāverī
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rivers are divine beings sustained across aeons and safeguarded by Śiva’s ordained protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā and Kāverī within the Amareśvara/Revā Khaṇḍa sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct injunction; it establishes the Shaiva foundation for the rivers’ sanctity and guardianship.