Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

रेवायां पुरतः कृत्वा पुरा नन्दी गणेश्वरः । तपस्तपञ्जयं कुर्वंस्तीर्थात्तीर्थं जगाम ह

Transliteration

revāyāṃ purataḥ kṛtvā purā nandī gaṇeśvaraḥ | tapastapañjayaṃ kurvaṃstīrthāttīrthaṃ jagāma ha

Translation

Dans les temps anciens, Nandī, seigneur des gaṇas de Śiva, plaçant devant lui la Revā (Narmadā) comme présence directrice, alla de tīrtha en tīrtha, accomplissant l’ascèse et triomphant des rigueurs du tapas.

Word by Word

• रेवायाम्: in/at the Revā (river)
• रेवायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुरतः: in front
• पुरतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक अव्यय (adverb: in front/before)

• कृत्वा: having done / having made
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Sambandha (Time/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: formerly/once)

• नन्दी: Nandī
• नन्दी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• गणेश्वरः: lord of the gaṇas
• गणेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); ‘नन्दी’ इत्यस्य विशेषणरूपेण

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तपञ्जयम्: (uncertain reading) ‘tapañjaya’ (possibly a rite/name connected with tapas)
• तपञ्जयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपः + अञ्जय (प्रातिपदिक; पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); ‘तपः’ इत्यनेन सह समुच्चितकर्मरूपेण

• कुर्वन्: doing
• कुर्वन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तीर्थात्: from (one) sacred ford/place
• तीर्थात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तीर्थम्: to (another) sacred ford/place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ह: indeed / (narrative particle)
• ह: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: स्मरण/वृत्तान्तसूचक अव्यय (particle used in narration)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Revā-khaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrthas (series)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nandī, anthropomorphized as a powerful devotee or shown as Śiva’s bull with divine aura, travels along the Narmadā, stopping at successive ghāṭs; ascetics and forested banks accompany the journey.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Nandī
• Gaṇeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True pilgrimage is not mere travel; it is tapas—disciplined endurance and devotion—carried from tīrtha to tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) region as a sacred pilgrimage landscape, approached through successive tīrthas along the river.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-yātrā undertaken with tapas (austerity/discipline); the verse frames pilgrimage itself as a religious practice.