Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

नरकान्तकरी रेवा सतीर्था विश्वपावनी । नर्मदा धर्मदा चास्तु शर्मदा पार्थ ते सदा

Transliteration

narakāntakarī revā satīrthā viśvapāvanī | narmadā dharmadā cāstu śarmadā pārtha te sadā

Translation

നരകാന്തകരി, തീർത്ഥസമ്പന്ന, വിശ്വപാവനി റേവാ—നർമദാരൂപിണിയായി—ഹേ പാർഥാ, നിനക്കു സദാ ധർമ്മദായിനിയും ശാന്തി-സുഖദായിനിയും ആയിരിക്കട്ടെ.

Word by Word

• नरकान्तकरी: ending hell (destroying hellish fate)
• नरकान्तकरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नरक + अन्त + करिन्/करी (प्रातिपदिक; √कृ (धातु) → करिन्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (रेवा/नर्मदा इति); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (नरकस्य अन्तं करोति)

• रेवा: Revā (the river)
• रेवा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सतीर्था: having sacred fords/pilgrimage spots
• सतीर्था: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; कर्मधारयः (सतीर्था = उत्तमानि तीर्थानि यस्यां/यत्र)

• विश्वपावनी: purifier of the whole world
• विश्वपावनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्व + पावनी (प्रातिपदिक; √पू (धातु) → पावन)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विश्वं पावयति)

• नर्मदा: Narmadā
• नर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• धर्मदा: giver of dharma
• धर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म + दा (प्रातिपदिक; √दा (धातु))
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (धर्मं ददाति)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• अस्तु: may she be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• शर्मदा: giver of comfort/happiness
• शर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शर्मन् + दा (प्रातिपदिक; √दा (धातु))
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शर्म/सुखं ददाति)

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ते: for you; to you
• ते: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (enclitic pronoun)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate narrative continuity into Adhyāya 230)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā / Narmadā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Personified Revā as a radiant river-goddess rising from flowing waters, surrounded by many tīrtha-ghāṭas; below, a devotee (Pārtha) receives her blessing; in the distance, a dark 'naraka' motif dissolves, replaced by light and calm.

Characters & Entities

• Revā
• Narmadā
• Pārtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Revering Revā/Narmadā as a living tīrtha grants dharmic strength, inner peace, and protection from hellish consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā herself is praised as a river-tīrtha containing many sacred fords (satīrthā) across her course.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse functions as a blessing and stuti, implying merit through praise and remembrance of Revā.