Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तः सहस्राक्षः प्रणम्य मुनिसत्तमम् । ब्राह्मणांस्तान्महाभागान्नर्मदां प्रत्यगात्ततः

Transliteration

evamuktaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ praṇamya munisattamam | brāhmaṇāṃstānmahābhāgānnarmadāṃ pratyagāttataḥ

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ അഭിസംബോധന ചെയ്ത സഹസ്രാക്ഷൻ (ഇന്ദ്രൻ) മുനിശ്രേഷ്ഠനെ നമസ്കരിച്ചു; പിന്നെ ആ മഹാഭാഗ ബ്രാഹ്മണന്മാരോടൊപ്പം നർമദയിലേക്കു പുറപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• उक्तः: having been spoken to; addressed
• उक्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उक्त (कृदन्त; √वच्)
• Form: भूतकृत् (past participle), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); विशेषण

• सहस्र-अक्षः: the thousand-eyed one (Indra)
• सहस्र-अक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); बहुव्रीहि (one who has thousand eyes)

• प्रणम्य: having bowed
• प्रणम्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √नम् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• मुनि-सत्तमम्: the best of sages
• मुनि-सत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• तान्: those
• तान्: Visheshana (Determiner/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); विशेषण/सर्वनाम

• महाभागान्: very fortunate, noble
• महाभागान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); विशेषण

• नर्मदाम्: Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदाम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine)

• प्रत्यगात्: went towards; returned to
• प्रत्यगात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + √गम् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय (ablatival adverb: from there/then)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, now Sahasrākṣa, bows to Gautama; then a small procession of brāhmaṇas and the deity-king sets out toward the flowing Narmadā through forested banks.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Sahasrākṣa)
• Gautama
• Brahmins
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility before saints and turning toward tīrtha-practices mark the path of restoration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā (Revā) is explicitly named as the sacred destination.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied tīrtha-yātrā leading to snāna (ritual bathing), which is described in the following verses.