Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

नर्मदायाः समीपे तु तावुभौ योजनद्वये । न पश्यन्ति यमं तत्र ये मृता वरवर्णिनि

Transliteration

narmadāyāḥ samīpe tu tāvubhau yojanadvaye | na paśyanti yamaṃ tatra ye mṛtā varavarṇini

Translation

Di dekat Sungai Narmadā, dalam jarak dua yojana di kedua sisinya, wahai yang berparas elok, siapa pun yang wafat di sana tidak memandang Yama.

Word by Word

• नर्मदायाः: of (the river) Narmadā
• नर्मदायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• समीपे: near, in the vicinity
• समीपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन (Dual)

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन (Dual); विशेषण (adjectival) तौ इति

• योजनद्वये: within two yojanas
• योजनद्वये: Adhikarana (Extent/location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन + द्वि (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); द्विगु-समास (numeral compound)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• पश्यन्ति: they see
• पश्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• यमम्: Yama (lord of death)
• यमम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• मृताः: dead, having died
• मृताः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त; √मृ धातु)
• Form: भूतकृत् (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (qualifies ये)

• वरवर्णिनि: O fair-complexioned one
• वरवर्णिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरवर्णिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय-समास (वर + वर्णिनी)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced: addressing Devī as varavarṇinī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Reva/Narmadā-kṣetra (two-yojana river ambit)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varavarṇinī / Viśālākṣī / Sundarī (a addressed female interlocutor; exact identity not specified in excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wide Narmadā river with luminous banks marked as a protective sacred boundary; departing souls rise as light, while Yama and his attendants remain at a distance, unable to enter the two-yojana sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A supremely holy kṣetra transforms even death into auspicious passage, overriding fear of Yama through tīrtha-mahima.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā riverbank region—within two yojanas on both sides of the river.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed; the verse states the salvific status of dying within the Narmadā’s sacred vicinity.