Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

नर्म चैभ्यो ददे यस्मात्तत्कृतैश्चेष्टितैः पृथक् । भविष्यसि वरारोहे सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा तु नर्मदा

Transliteration

narma caibhyo dade yasmāttatkṛtaiśceṣṭitaiḥ pṛthak | bhaviṣyasi varārohe saricchreṣṭhā tu narmadā

Translation

അവൾ തന്റെ വ്യത്യസ്തമായ ക്രീഡാമയ പ്രവർത്തികളാൽ ഈ ഗണദേവന്മാർക്ക് ആനന്ദം നൽകിയതിനാൽ, ഹേ സുന്ദരിയേ! നീ നദികളിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠയായിത്തീരും—അതുകൊണ്ടാണ് ‘നർമദാ’ എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്നത്.

Word by Word

• नर्म: joke, laughter, jest
• नर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; (neuter, nominative/accusative singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एभ्यः: from these (persons/things)
• एभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5), बहुवचन; (ablative plural)

• ददे: gave
• ददे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; (3rd person singular perfect)

• यस्मात्: because of which; since
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; (ablative singular)

• तत्-कृतैः: by those done by him/that; by such deeds
• तत्-कृतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम) + कृत (कृ-धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; कृत (past passive participle) — तृतीया (3), बहुवचन, पुं/नपुंसक; (instrumental plural)

• चेष्टितैः: by (his) acts/gestures
• चेष्टितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेष्टित (चेष्ट्/चेष्टा-धातु/प्रातिपदिक; क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (अर्थे कर्म), तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; (instrumental plural)

• पृथक्: separately, distinctly
• पृथक्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• भविष्यसि: you will become
• भविष्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल/Future), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; (2nd person singular future)

• वरारोहे: O fair-hipped one
• वरारोहे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर + आरोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; (vocative singular)

• सरित्-श्रेष्ठा: best among rivers
• सरित्-श्रेष्ठा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; (nominative singular)

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• नर्मदा: Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; (nominative singular)

Speaker

Śiva (Pinākadhṛk), as the namer within the narrative

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant river-goddess is blessed as ‘best of rivers’ while celestial attendants (gaṇas/devas) smile at her playful acts; the river’s name is proclaimed as Narmadā.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Śiva (implicit as speaker)
• Gaṇas/Devas (implied by 'ebhyaḥ')

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rivers are not mere geography; they are divine persons whose very ‘name’ encodes grace—Narmadā as the giver of spiritual joy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā/Revā river-tīrtha is explicitly exalted as ‘best among rivers’ (saritśreṣṭhā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse provides the name-derivation that supports later practices like snāna and tīrtha-yātrā on Narmadā.