Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

शापानुग्रहको देवोऽक्षिपत्तोये यथा गृहे । ततो विषादमगमद्दृष्ट्वा तान्नर्मदाजले

Transliteration

śāpānugrahako devo'kṣipattoye yathā gṛhe | tato viṣādamagamaddṛṣṭvā tānnarmadājale

Translation

懲らしめも恩寵も授けるその神は、家の中へ物を投げ入れるかのように彼らを水へ投げ込んだ。やがてナルマダーの水にいる彼らを見て、悲しみに沈んだ。

Word by Word

• शापानुग्रहकः: one who both curses and blesses
• शापानुग्रहकः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाप + अनुग्रह (प्रातिपदिकौ) + क (प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समासः (‘शापश्च अनुग्रहश्च’), ततः ‘-क’ प्रत्ययेन ‘one who does both’

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• अक्षिपत्: threw/cast
• अक्षिपत्: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतन-भूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तोये: into the water
• तोये: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• यथा: as/just like
• यथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Comparison)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (comparative/illustrative)

• गृहे: in a house
• गृहे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, हेतुतः/अनन्तरार्थे (thereupon/then)

• विषादम्: despondency/sorrow
• विषादम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• अगमत्: fell into/entered
• अगमत्: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतन-भूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘went/entered (a state)’

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Causal participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having seen’

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• नर्मदाजले: in the waters of the Narmadā
• नर्मदाजले: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + जल (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘नर्मदायाः जलम्’)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator in Revā-khaṇḍa context; traditionally Sūta-like narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The deva casts the boys into the Narmadā’s waters; immediately afterward, the same divine figure is shown with softened expression, sorrowful upon seeing them struggling in the river.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power can manifest as both discipline and compassion, ultimately guiding beings toward dharma and protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā (Revā) river setting is foregrounded; the broader passage culminates in the Bhārabhūteśvara Tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated in this verse; it functions as narrative setup within the tīrtha-māhātmya.