Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

नर्मदापि प्रहृष्टासीत्पावित्र्यं प्राप्य चाद्भुतम् । स्वदेशं च परिप्राप्ता दृष्टमात्राघहारिणी

Transliteration

narmadāpi prahṛṣṭāsītpāvitryaṃ prāpya cādbhutam | svadeśaṃ ca pariprāptā dṛṣṭamātrāghahāriṇī

Translation

नर्मदा भी अद्भुत पवित्रता प्राप्त कर प्रसन्न हो उठी। अपने देश में लौटकर वह केवल दर्शन मात्र से पाप हरने वाली बन गई।

Word by Word

• नर्मदा: Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे ‘also’

• प्रहृष्टा: delighted, joyful
• प्रहृष्टा: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण/subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रहृष्ट (कृदन्त; √हृष् (धातु) + प्र- उपसर्ग, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पावित्र्यम्: purity, sanctity
• पावित्र्यम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पावित्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/gerundial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आप् (धातु) + प्र- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having obtained’

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

• अद्भुतम्: wonderful, marvelous
• अद्भुतम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण/object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मविशेषण

• स्वदेशम्: one’s own region
• स्वदेशम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वदेश (प्रातिपदिक; स्व + देश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘स्वस्य देशः’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

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

• परिप्राप्ता: having reached, arrived
• परिप्राप्ता: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परिप्राप्त (कृदन्त; √आप् (धातु) + परि-प्र- उपसर्ग, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; कर्तृसम्बन्धे ‘having reached/arrived’

• दृष्टमात्राघहारिणी: she who removes sin merely by being seen
• दृष्टमात्राघहारिणी: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण/epithet)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्ट + मात्र + अघ + हारिणी (प्रातिपदिक; √हृ (धातु) + णिनि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—‘दृष्टमात्रेण अघं हरति’ इति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-सन्निकर्ष)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā) / Narmadeśa

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Personified Narmadā as a radiant river-goddess, returning to her own land after receiving wondrous sanctifying power; sages and pilgrims on the banks experience immediate purification by mere sight.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places and sacred rivers gain and bestow purifying power; even mere darśana (seeing) can remove sins when connected to tīrtha-mahātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā river-tīrtha is praised as ‘dṛṣṭamātra-aghahāriṇī’—sin-destroying by mere sight.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated here; the verse emphasizes the merit of darśana (seeing) of Narmadā.