Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । आश्चर्यं कथ्यतां ब्रह्मन्यद्वृत्तं नर्मदातटे । वाराणस्या समं कस्मादेतत्कथय मे प्रभो

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | āścaryaṃ kathyatāṃ brahmanyadvṛttaṃ narmadātaṭe | vārāṇasyā samaṃ kasmādetatkathaya me prabho

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dit : Ô brāhmane, qu’on raconte ce prodige : que s’est-il passé sur la rive de la Narmadā ? Pourquoi cela est-il l’égal de Vārāṇasī ? Dis-le-moi, ô seigneur.

Word by Word

• yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• āścaryam: a wonder
• āścaryam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āścarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; अत्र कर्मरूपेण (object)

• kathyatām: let it be told / please tell
• kathyatām: Kriya (Request/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• brahman: O Brahmin (sage)
• brahman: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• yat: which/what
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सूचक (relative pronoun)

• vṛttam: happened event
• vṛttam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛtta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘घटितम्/वृत्तान्तः’

• narmadā-taṭe: on the bank of the Narmadā
• narmadā-taṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक) + taṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (on the bank of Narmadā)

• vārāṇasyāḥ: of Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasyāḥ: Sambandha (Comparison base/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• samam: equal
• samam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (etad)

• kasmāt: from what cause/why
• kasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• etat: this
• etat: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kathaya: tell
• kathaya: Kriya (Request/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• me: to me
• me: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन रूप (Genitive/Dative singular enclitic); अत्र चतुर्थी (to me)

• prabho: O lord
• prabho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā-taṭa tīrtha (contextual; specific ford referenced in 85.1)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, seated respectfully, questions sage Mārkaṇḍeya about the marvel on Narmadā’s bank and the reason for Kāśī-equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Narmadā
• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is understood through humble inquiry into the Purāṇic reasons behind a tīrtha’s greatness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā river-bank tīrtha being compared to Vārāṇasī (Kāśī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; this verse frames a question to elicit the tīrtha’s māhātmya.