Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

सरितां च यथा गङ्गा देवतानां जनार्दनः । शुक्लतीर्थं तथा पुण्यं नर्मदायां व्यवस्थितम्

Transliteration

saritāṃ ca yathā gaṅgā devatānāṃ janārdanaḥ | śuklatīrthaṃ tathā puṇyaṃ narmadāyāṃ vyavasthitam

Translation

നദികളിൽ ഗംഗ എങ്ങനെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠമോ, ദേവന്മാരിൽ ജനാർദനൻ എങ്ങനെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠനോ; അതുപോലെ നർമദയിൽ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്ന ശുക്ലതീർത്ഥം പരമ പുണ്യമാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सरिताम्: of rivers
• सरिताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Connector (Upamā/यथा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमानवाचक

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• देवतानाम्: of the deities
• देवतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• जनार्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• शुक्लतीर्थम्: Śukla-tīrtha
• शुक्लतीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्ल + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय

• तथा: so; likewise
• तथा: Connector (correlative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, यथा-तथा सम्बन्ध (correlative)

• पुण्यम्: sacred; meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Predicate/Viśeṣaṇa (Predicative qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेयविशेषणम् (शुक्लतीर्थम्)

• नर्मदायाम्: in/on the Narmadā
• नर्मदायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• व्यवस्थितम्: situated; established
• व्यवस्थितम्: Predicate/Viśeṣaṇa (Predicative qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यवस्था + क्त (कृदन्त; √स्था (धातु) उपसर्गः वि+अव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, ‘स्थित’ = situated/established; विशेषणम् (शुक्लतीर्थम्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely a sage addressing Yudhiṣṭhira within Revā-khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śukla-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tripartite comparison tableau: Gaṅgā personified as a goddess on a makara, Janārdana (Viṣṇu) enthroned with śaṅkha-cakra, and Śukla-tīrtha shown as a radiant white ghat on Narmadā—linked by a visual 'chief' motif (crowns/halos).

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• Śuklatīrtha
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True holiness is recognized by spiritual preeminence: Śuklatīrtha is praised as a foremost source of puṇya, like Gaṅgā among rivers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śuklatīrtha, described as situated on the banks/waters of the Narmadā (Revā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly in this verse; it primarily offers praise (māhātmya) by comparison.