Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

नर्मदादक्षिणे कूले तीर्थं परमशोभनम् । सोमनाथसमीपस्थं तत्र त्वं गच्छ वानर

Transliteration

narmadādakṣiṇe kūle tīrthaṃ paramaśobhanam | somanāthasamīpasthaṃ tatra tvaṃ gaccha vānara

Translation

Sur la rive méridionale de la Narmadā se trouve un tīrtha d’une beauté suprême, près de Somanātha. Va là-bas, ô Vānara.

Word by Word

• narmadā-dakṣiṇe: on the southern (side) of the Narmadā
• narmadā-dakṣiṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक) + dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग? (कूले इति नपुंसकस्य विशेषणम्), सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम्; समासः = तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः दक्षिणे)

• kūle: on the bank
• kūle: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• tīrtham: a sacred ford/place
• tīrtham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• parama-śobhanam: supremely beautiful
• parama-śobhanam: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + śobhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थम्); समासः = कर्मधारय (परमं शोभनम्)

• somanātha-samīpa-stham: situated near Somanātha
• somanātha-samīpa-stham: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: somanātha (प्रातिपदिक) + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधार)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थम्); समासः = तत्पुरुष (सोमनाथस्य समीपे स्थितम्)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण) = there

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुषार्थे (2nd person pronoun), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• gaccha: go
• gaccha: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• vānara: O monkey
• vānara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vānara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed Narmadā south-bank tīrtha near Somnātha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Hanumān (vānara)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva points outward, indicating a radiant ford on the south bank of the Narmadā; in the distance, a Somnātha-like temple silhouette rises near the sea-horizon, linking river and coastal shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Somanātha
• Hanumān (Vānara)
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is localized: the tradition directs seekers to specific tīrthas whose sanctity is tied to divine instruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A ‘paramaśobhana’ tīrtha on the southern bank of Narmadā, described as being near Somanātha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage directive—go to the specified Narmadā tīrtha (implying snāna and associated rites).