Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तत्र देवाः सगन्धर्वा ऋषयः सिद्धचारणाः । जलधिं प्रतिगच्छन्ति नर्मदां वीक्षितुं किल

Transliteration

tatra devāḥ sagandharvā ṛṣayaḥ siddhacāraṇāḥ | jaladhiṃ pratigacchanti narmadāṃ vīkṣituṃ kila

Translation

അവിടെ ദേവന്മാർ ഗന്ധർവന്മാരോടുകൂടെ, ഋഷിമാരും സിദ്ധ-ചാരണന്മാരും—എന്ന് പറയപ്പെടുന്നു—നർമദയെ ദർശിക്കാനായി സമുദ്രത്തേക്കും പോകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (there)

• devāḥ: gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), बहुवचनम्

• sa-gandharvāḥ: together with Gandharvas
• sa-gandharvāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ ‘सह’) + gandharva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचनम्; ‘स’ = सहार्थक-उपपद (with)

• ṛṣayaḥ: sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), बहुवचनम्

• siddha-cāraṇāḥ: Siddhas and Cāraṇas
• siddha-cāraṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक) + cāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), बहुवचनम्; समासः—द्वन्द्वः: ‘सिद्धाश्च चारणाश्च’

• jaladhim: the ocean
• jaladhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaladhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचनम्

• pratigacchanti: go towards
• pratigacchanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati+gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम्; धातुः—गम् (1/भ्वादि)

• narmadām: Narmadā (river)
• narmadām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचनम्

• vīkṣitum: to see
• vīkṣitum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi+īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive/तुमन्त), अव्ययभावः; धातुः—ईक्ष् (1/भ्वादि)

• kila: indeed, it is said
• kila: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kila (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय (particle indicating report/indeed)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (continued)

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Devas
• Gandharvas
• Ṛṣis
• Siddhas
• Cāraṇas
• Ocean (Jaladhi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of a supremely sacred river is itself a revered act, sought even by celestial beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā’s sacred presence, especially in relation to her meeting with the ocean and nearby tīrthas like Koṭīśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes the sanctity of beholding (darśana) Narmadā.