Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

एवं बके पुरा कल्पे मया दृष्टेयमव्यया । नर्मदा मर्त्यलोकस्य महापातकनाशिनी

Transliteration

evaṃ bake purā kalpe mayā dṛṣṭeyamavyayā | narmadā martyalokasya mahāpātakanāśinī

Translation

Ainsi, jadis, dans l’antique Kalpa de Bake, je vis cette Narmadā impérissable, qui anéantit les grands péchés du monde des hommes.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of manner: “thus”)

• बके: in (the) Baka (kalpa)
• बके: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘बक’ इति कल्पनाम/नामविशेषः (in/at Baka)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb: formerly)

• कल्पे: in the kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent, expressed in instrumental with passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग-प्रयोग्य (pronoun); तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• दृष्टा: was seen
• दृष्टा: Kriyā (Predicate in passive construction)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय (seen)

• इयम्: this
• इयम्: Karma/Pradhāna (Subject of passive: “this”)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अव्यया: imperishable
• अव्यया: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘नर्मदा’)

• नर्मदा: Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदा: Karta/Pradhāna (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मर्त्यलोकस्य: of the mortal world
• मर्त्यलोकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (मर्त्यानां लोकः)

• महापातकनाशिनी: destroyer of great sins
• महापातकनाशिनी: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापातक + नाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (महापातकानां नाशिनी) विशेषण (qualifying ‘नर्मदा’)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate narrative context; explicit in Adhyāya 9 opening)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A seer (Mārkaṇḍeya implied by context) beholds the eternal Narmadā as a luminous river-goddess, her waters washing away dark stains symbolizing mahāpātakas; distant ghats and Shaiva emblems suggest her link to Maheśvara.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Narmadā is praised as an imperishable purifier whose sanctity removes even grievous sins when approached with faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The river Narmadā (Revā) herself as a supreme tīrtha for the mortal realm.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated in this verse; it declares the fruit (phala) of Narmadā as a sin-destroying tīrtha.