Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

कालेन वृक्षाः प्रपतन्ति येऽपि महातरंगौघनिकृत्तमूलाः । ते नर्मदांभोभिरपास्तपापा देदीप्यमानास्त्रिदिवं प्रयान्ति

Transliteration

kālena vṛkṣāḥ prapatanti ye'pi mahātaraṃgaughanikṛttamūlāḥ | te narmadāṃbhobhirapāstapāpā dedīpyamānāstridivaṃ prayānti

Translation

കാലപ്രവാഹത്തിൽ മഹാതരംഗങ്ങളുടെ പ്രചണ്ഡവേഗം മൂലം വേരുകൾ മുറിഞ്ഞ് വീഴുന്ന വൃക്ഷങ്ങൾ പോലും, നർമദാജലത്താൽ പാപം അകന്ന് ദീപ്തിമാനരായി ത്രിദിവത്തിലേക്ക് ഗമിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• kālena: by time
• kālena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) एकवचन; Instrumental singular (by/with time)

• vṛkṣāḥ: trees
• vṛkṣāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन? (वास्तवतः बहुवचन) प्रथमा बहुवचन; Nominative plural

• prapatanti: fall down
• prapatanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√pat (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; Present indicative 3rd pl.

• ye: which (those who)
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; Relative pronoun, nominative plural

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

• mahā-taraṃga-ogha-nikṛtta-mūlāḥ: whose roots are cut by the flood of great waves
• mahā-taraṃga-ogha-nikṛtta-mūlāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + taraṃga (प्रातिपदिक) + ogha (प्रातिपदिक) + nikṛtta (कृदन्त; नि√कृत) + mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (महातरङ्गौघेन निकृत्तानि मूलानि येषाम्)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; Demonstrative pronoun, nominative plural

• narmadā-ambhobhiḥ: by the waters of the Narmadā
• narmadā-ambhobhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक) + ambhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (अम्भस्), तृतीया बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः अम्भः)

• apāsta-pāpāḥ: with sins removed
• apāsta-pāpāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apāsta (कृदन्त; apa√as/apa√sthā? अर्थे ‘अपसारित’) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (अपास्तानि पापानि येषाम्)

• dedīpyamānāḥ: shining
• dedīpyamānāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √dīp (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय; आत्मनेपद-भाव), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; Present participle (shining)

• tridivam: to heaven
• tridivam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tridiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; Accusative singular (goal)

• prayānti: go forth/attain
• prayānti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; Present indicative 3rd pl.

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A storm-swollen Narmadā with towering waves uprooting trees; the fallen trees, washed by the river, are shown as luminous forms ascending toward svarga.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Tridiva (Heaven)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s holiness is portrayed as universally purifying—its contact sanctifies even non-human beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā (Revā) and the sanctifying potency of her waters and waves.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it underscores pāpa-kṣaya (removal of sin) through Narmadā’s waters.