Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तद्धि पुण्यं सुविख्यातं नर्मदायां पुरातनम् । यत्र हुङ्कारमात्रेण रेवा क्रोशं जगाम सा

Transliteration

taddhi puṇyaṃ suvikhyātaṃ narmadāyāṃ purātanam | yatra huṅkāramātreṇa revā krośaṃ jagāma sā

Translation

ആ പുണ്യസ്ഥലം നർമദയിൽ പുരാതനവും സുപ്രസിദ്ധവുമാണ്; അവിടെ ‘ഹും’ എന്ന ഹുങ്കാരമാത്രത്താൽ റേവാ ഒരു ക്രോശം ദൂരത്തേക്ക് നീങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• तत्: that (tīrtha)
• तत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; (तीर्थम् इत्यस्य निर्देशः)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/discourse)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: indeed/for)

• पुण्यम्: holy/meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (तत्)

• सुविख्यातम्: well-known
• सुविख्यातम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + विख्यात (प्रातिपदिक); विख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP, क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (तत्)

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

• पुरातनम्: ancient
• पुरातनम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (तत्)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• हुङ्कारमात्रेण: by mere huṅkāra (utterance)
• हुङ्कारमात्रेण: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुङ्कार + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (हुङ्कारस्य मात्रम् = mere utterance of huṅ)

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

• क्रोशम्: a krośa (distance measure)
• क्रोशम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रोश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (measure)

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (रेवा इत्यस्य पुनर्निर्देशः)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vāsudeva-tīrtha (on Revā/Narmadā)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (the King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the Narmadā bank, a powerful sage utters ‘huṅ’; the river-goddess Revā, personified, shifts her course by a krośa, leaving a newly revealed ford and dry riverbed behind.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Huṅkāra
• Vāsudeva Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sound and divine authority are shown as potent forces that sanctify places and shape sacred landscapes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ancient, famed tīrtha on the Narmadā associated with the ‘huṅkāra’ event (Huṅkāra Tīrtha/Vāsudeva Tīrtha context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse explains the origin-story (etiology) behind the tīrtha’s sanctity.