Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

जातिस्मरा सुचार्वङ्गी नर्मदायाः प्रभावतः । पित्रा च सैकदा कन्या विवाहाय प्रजल्पिता

Transliteration

jātismarā sucārvaṅgī narmadāyāḥ prabhāvataḥ | pitrā ca saikadā kanyā vivāhāya prajalpitā

Translation

Par la puissance de la sainte Narmadā, la jeune fille était jātismarā — se souvenant de ses naissances antérieures — et d’une beauté harmonieuse. Un jour, son père évoqua de la donner en mariage.

Word by Word

• जातिस्मरा: remembering past births
• जातिस्मरा: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जाति (प्रातिपदिक) + स्मर (स्मृ धातु-णिच्/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमाविभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); विशेषण

• सुचार्वङ्गी: beautiful-limbed
• सुचार्वङ्गी: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + चारु (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्गिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमाविभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); बहुव्रीहिः (one who has beautiful limbs)

• नर्मदायाः: of Narmadā
• नर्मदायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठीविभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine)

• प्रभावतः: due to the power
• प्रभावतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमीविभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine); हेत्वर्थ (cause)

• पित्रा: by the father
• पित्रा: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीयाविभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• स: he
• स: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमाविभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• एकदा: once
• एकदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• कन्या: the girl
• कन्या: Karma (Object in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमाविभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine)

• विवाहाय: for marriage
• विवाहाय: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थीविभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine); प्रयोजनार्थ (purpose)

• प्रजल्पिता: was spoken of / proposed
• प्रजल्पिता: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-जल्‍प् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇa (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: king (nareśvara) in frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant maiden, graceful in form, is described as remembering past lives due to Narmadā’s power; her father begins speaking of arranging her marriage.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• kanyā (princess)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with a great tirtha like the Narmadā is portrayed as transformative, even shaping memory, destiny, and dhārmic life-events.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā (Revā) herself—her spiritual potency is explicitly credited.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it references marriage arrangements within dharma, framed by the river’s sacred influence.