Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तटपुलिनं शिवदेवा यस्या यतयोऽपि कामयन्ते वा । मुनिनिवहविहितसेवा शिवाय मम जायतां रेवा

Transliteration

taṭapulinaṃ śivadevā yasyā yatayo'pi kāmayante vā | muninivahavihitasevā śivāya mama jāyatāṃ revā

Translation

രേവാ എനിക്ക് ക്ഷേമകരിയാകട്ടെ—അവളുടെ തീരവും മണൽപ്പുലിനവും ശിവദേവസ്വരൂപ യതികളും ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു; മുനിസമൂഹം സേവിക്കുന്നവൾ; ശിവഭക്തയും മംഗളമയിയും।

Word by Word

• तटपुलिनम्: bank and sandbank (river-shore)
• तटपुलिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट + पुलिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective copulative)

• शिवदेवाः: Śiva-like gods / auspicious deities
• शिवदेवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (śivāḥ devāḥ)

• यस्याः: of whom/whose
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• यतयः: ascetics
• यतयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• कामयन्ते: desire/long for
• कामयन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; causative/desiderative sense in usage: ‘desire’

• वा: or/indeed
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (disjunctive particle)

• मुनिनिवहविहितसेवा: whose service is performed by hosts of sages
• मुनिनिवहविहितसेवा: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुनि + निवह + विहित + सेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (muninivahasya vihitā sevā)

• शिवाय: for Śiva
• शिवाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• जायताम्: may (she) arise/become
• जायताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/विधिलिङ्-आदेश), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आशीर्लिङ्गार्थ (benedictive sense): ‘may be born/come to be’

• रेवा: Revā (Narmadā river)
• रेवा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; devotional benediction within Revā Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣa sages (implied by surrounding verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous river (Revā) with wide sandy banks; ascetics and sages seated in meditation and performing simple worship; Śiva’s presence implied through liṅga/triśūla symbols and a serene, auspicious atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Śiva
• Yati
• Muni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True holiness makes even renunciants yearn for sacred places; service to a tīrtha in a Śaiva spirit yields auspicious welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā (Narmadā), especially her banks and sand-shores as a sanctified pilgrimage landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sevā (reverent service/worship) performed by sages is highlighted as the fitting approach to the river-tīrtha.