Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

नर्मदातोयसंस्पृष्टास्ते यान्ति परमां गतिम् । अनिवृत्तिका गतिस्तस्य पवनस्याम्बरे यथा

Transliteration

narmadātoyasaṃspṛṣṭāste yānti paramāṃ gatim | anivṛttikā gatistasya pavanasyāmbare yathā

Translation

നർമദാജലസ്പർശം ലഭിച്ചവർ പരമഗതിയെ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. അവരുടെ ഗതി തിരിഞ്ഞുമടങ്ങുകയില്ല—ആകാശത്തിൽ സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്ന പവനത്തെപ്പോലെ।

Word by Word

• नर्मदातोयसंस्पृष्टाः: touched by the waters of Narmadā
• नर्मदातोयसंस्पृष्टाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + तोय (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्पृष्ट (सम्+स्पृश् धातु-निष्पन्न क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; समासः—नर्मदातोयेन संस्पृष्टाः (touched by Narmadā-water)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• यान्ति: go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• परमाम्: supreme
• परमाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

• गतिम्: goal/state
• गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

• अनिवृत्तिका: irreversible/without return
• अनिवृत्तिका: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + निवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + क (तद्धित)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (न निवृत्तिः यस्याः सा/या)

• गतिः: the course/going
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (6th/Genitive), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• पवनस्य: of the wind
• पवनस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (6th/Genitive), एकवचनम्

• अम्बरे: in the sky
• अम्बरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्

• यथा: as/like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमार्थक-अव्ययम् (comparative particle)

Speaker

Narrator in Revā Khaṇḍa (deduced: purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Fallen trees on the Narmadā bank are washed by her waters; their ‘journey’ is symbolized by an upward stream of light moving like wind through open sky—an image of irreversible liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Pavana (wind)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with Narmadā’s sacred waters is celebrated as leading to an irreversible spiritual ascent toward the highest goal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā (Revā) and her holy waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, contact with Narmadā water (e.g., snāna/sparśa) is praised, though no detailed procedure is given.