Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तत्र तैर्बहुलैः शुभ्रैर्ब्राह्मणैर्वेदपरागैः । नर्मदा धर्मदा पूर्वं संविभक्ता यथाक्रमम्

Transliteration

tatra tairbahulaiḥ śubhrairbrāhmaṇairvedaparāgaiḥ | narmadā dharmadā pūrvaṃ saṃvibhaktā yathākramam

Translation

അവിടെ അനേകം ശുദ്ധരും വേദപാരംഗതരുമായ ബ്രാഹ്മണന്മാർ ധർമ്മദായിനിയായ നർമദയെ പൂർവ്വം യഥാക്രമം വിധിപൂർവ്വം വിഭജിച്ച് ക്രമീകരിച്ചിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Place/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• बहुलैः: numerous
• बहुलैः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; ब्राह्मणैः इति विशेषणम्

• शुभ्रैः: pure, bright
• शुभ्रैः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; ब्राह्मणैः इति विशेषणम्

• ब्राह्मणैः: by brāhmaṇas
• ब्राह्मणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• वेद-परागैः: well-versed in the Vedas
• वेद-परागैः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + पराग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'वेदेषु परागाः' (highly learned in the Vedas) ब्राह्मणैः इति विशेषणम्

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

• धर्मदा: bestower of righteousness
• धर्मदा: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + दा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'धर्मं ददाति' (giver of dharma) नर्मदायाḥ विशेषणम्

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: formerly/earlier)

• संविभक्ता: was properly apportioned/divided
• संविभक्ता: Kriyā (Predicative participle/क्रियाविशेषण-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+वि+भज् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'संविभक्ता' = properly divided/allocated

• यथा-क्रमम्: in due order
• यथा-क्रमम्: Prakāra-adhikaraṇa (Manner/प्रकाराधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; क्रियाविशेषणम् (according to order)

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda Purāṇa narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A broad view of the Narmadā with multiple ghats; groups of white-robed Veda-knowing Brahmins marking boundaries, assigning ritual stations, and guiding pilgrims in orderly sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Veda-knowing Brahmins

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is preserved when sacred spaces are established and maintained by learned, disciplined custodians.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā river corridor, envisioned as an ordered tīrtha-landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite is prescribed; the verse emphasizes Vedic authority and proper order (yathākramam) in tīrtha arrangements.