Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

नानौषधिप्रज्वलिते नानोत्पलशिलातले । नानाविहंगसंघुष्टां मत्स्यकूर्मसमाकुलाम्

Transliteration

nānauṣadhiprajvalite nānotpalaśilātale | nānāvihaṃgasaṃghuṣṭāṃ matsyakūrmasamākulām

Translation

Il contempla cette contrée de la rivière, embrasée de maintes herbes médicinales, aux fonds rocheux parsemés de lotus variés ; retentissante de vols d’oiseaux, et foisonnante de poissons et de tortues.

Word by Word

• नाना: various
• नाना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषणार्थे

• औषधिप्रज्वलिते: lit up by herbs (glowing plants)
• औषधिप्रज्वलिते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: औषधि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रज्वलित (प्र-√ज्वल् (धातु), क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (औषधिभिः प्रज्वलितम्)

• नाना: various
• नाना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषणार्थे

• उत्पलशिलातले: on a floor/bottom of lotuses and rocks
• उत्पलशिलातले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्पल (प्रातिपदिक) + शिला (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (उत्पलैः शिलाभिः च युक्तं तलम्)

• नाना: various
• नाना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषणार्थे

• विहंगसंघुष्टाम्: resounding with birds
• विहंगसंघुष्टाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विहंग (प्रातिपदिक) + संघुष्ट (सम्-√घुष् (धातु), क्त-प्रत्यय ‘resounded’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विहङ्गैः संघुष्टा)

• मत्स्यकूर्मसमाकुलाम्: filled with fish and tortoises
• मत्स्यकूर्मसमाकुलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत्स्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कूर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + समाकुल (सम्-आ-√कुल्/कुल् (धातु-आधारित), प्रातिपदिक ‘filled/confused’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (मत्स्यैः कूर्मैश्च समाकुला)

Speaker

Narrator (a ṛṣi/purāṇic speaker addressing a king; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tīrtha-inquirer audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant river stretch: banks glowing with medicinal herbs; rocky riverbed carpeted with multicolored lotuses; flocks of birds in flight and perched; clear waters alive with fish and tortoises.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• fish (matsya)
• tortoise (kūrma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places reveal dharma through their auspicious ecology—Narmadā’s landscape itself is a sign of divine presence and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) river realm and its tīrtha-environment, praised as inherently sacred.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; it prepares the setting for reverent acts like darśana and snāna in later verses.