Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

यावदस्थीनि तिष्ठन्ति मर्त्यस्य नर्मदाजले । तावद्वसति धर्मात्मा शिवलोके सुदुर्लभे

Transliteration

yāvadasthīni tiṣṭhanti martyasya narmadājale | tāvadvasati dharmātmā śivaloke sudurlabhe

Translation

Tant que les os du mortel demeurent dans les eaux de la Narmadā, autant de temps l’âme juste séjourne dans le monde de Śiva, si difficile à atteindre.

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Kala (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/संबन्ध-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल-परिमाणे (as long as)

• अस्थीनि: bones
• अस्थीनि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Plural)

• तिष्ठन्ति: remain
• तिष्ठन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मर्त्यस्य: of the mortal
• मर्त्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नर्मदाजले: in the water of the Narmadā
• नर्मदाजले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः जलम्)

• तावत्: for that long
• तावत्: Kala (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/संबन्ध-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावदर्थे (so long/that long)

• वसति: dwells
• वसति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• धर्मात्मा: the righteous-souled one
• धर्मात्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (धर्मः आत्मा यस्य सः)

• शिवलोके: in Śiva’s world
• शिवलोके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शिवस्य लोकः)

• सुदुर्लभे: very hard to attain
• सुदुर्लभे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying शिवलोके)

Speaker

Deductive (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A river confluence-like expanse of Narmadā; ritual immersion of bone-relics in a copper vessel; above, a luminous Śiva-loka vision—white peaks or celestial city—connected by a beam of light from the river.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Śivaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with the sacred river, especially through final rites, is portrayed as granting proximity to Śiva and rare spiritual destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā’s sacred waters in the Revā Khaṇḍa, within the Karoḍī Tīrtha narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies the practice of placing/immersing remains (asthi) in the Narmadā as part of final rites, linked to Śivaloka merit.