Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

मातरस्तत्र राजेन्द्र संजाता नर्मदातटे । उमार्धनारिर्देवेशो व्यालयज्ञोपवीतधृक्

Transliteration

mātarastatra rājendra saṃjātā narmadātaṭe | umārdhanārirdeveśo vyālayajñopavītadhṛk

Translation

王のうち最勝の者よ、そこナルマダー河の岸にて諸母神（マートリカー）は顕現した。そこにはまた、神々の主—ウマーを半身とするシヴァ—が、蛇を聖紐として身に帯びておられる。

Word by Word

• मातरः: the Mothers (Mātṛs)
• मातरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशबोधक-अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (राज्ञाम् इन्द्रः)

• संजाताः: were born/arose
• संजाताः: Karta (Predicate/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + जात (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त past participle) ‘संजात’ = उत्पन्न; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (मातरः इति कर्तृ-समन्वय)

• नर्मदातटे: on the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातटे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः तटः)

• उमार्धनारिः: Śiva (whose half is Umā)
• उमार्धनारिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा + अर्ध + नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (यस्य अर्धं नारी उमा) = शिवः

• देवेशः: lord of the gods
• देवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशः)

• व्यालयज्ञोपवीतधृक्: wearer of a serpent as the sacred thread
• व्यालयज्ञोपवीतधृक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याल + यज्ञोपवीत + धृक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (व्यालः एव यज्ञोपवीतम् यस्य; धृक् = धारकः)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mātṛtīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the Narmadā bank, the Mātṛs appear—multiple mother-goddesses in a semicircle—while Ardhanārīśvara Śiva stands nearby, half Umā, half Śiva, wearing a serpent as yajñopavīta; the river glints behind them.

Characters & Entities

• Mātṛs/Mātṛkās
• Narmadā
• Śiva (Deveśa)
• Umā
• Ardhanārīśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is sanctified by divine presence—here, both the Mothers and Śiva-Umā are revealed as guardians of the place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mātṛtīrtha on the Narmadā bank, associated with the Mātṛkās and Ardhanārīśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse establishes the deity-presence and sanctity of the site.