Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

प्लावयन्ती विराजन्ती तेन रेवा इति स्मृता । भार्यापुत्रसुदुःखाढ्यान्नराञ्छापैः समावृतान्

Transliteration

plāvayantī virājantī tena revā iti smṛtā | bhāryāputrasuduḥkhāḍhyānnarāñchāpaiḥ samāvṛtān

Translation

ജീവികളെ കടത്തിവിടുകയും ദീപ്തിയായി വിരാജിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നതിനാൽ അവൾ ‘രേവാ’ എന്നു സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. ഭാര്യാ-പുത്രബന്ധമായ കടുത്ത ദുഃഖത്തിൽ മുങ്ങിയ, ശാപങ്ങളാൽ മൂടപ്പെട്ട മനുഷ്യർക്കും അവൾ ആശ്രയമാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• प्लावयन्ती: flooding, causing to overflow
• प्लावयन्ती: Karta (Subject-participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्लु (धातु) → प्लावयत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, णिच् causative)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; णिच्—‘causing to float/flooding’

• विराजन्ती: shining, resplendent
• विराजन्ती: Karta (Subject-participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + राज् (धातु) → विराजत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तेन: therefore, by that
• तेन: Hetu (Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनस्य अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; हेत्वर्थे ‘therefore/for that reason’

• रेवा: Revā (Narmadā)
• रेवा: Pratijna/Predicate nominative
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (proper name)

• इति: thus, as
• इति: Vacana-paryavasana (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/quotative particle)

• स्मृता: is remembered/called
• स्मृता: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकालिक क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि—‘is remembered/called’

• भार्यापुत्रसुदुःखाढ्यान्: men filled with intense sorrow regarding wife and son
• भार्यापुत्रसुदुःखाढ्यान्: Visheshana (Qualifier of नरान्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भार्या + पुत्र + सु-दुःख + आढ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भार्यापुत्रसम्बन्धि सुदुःखं यस्य/येषां ते; आढ्य = full of)

• नरान्: men
• नरान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन

• छापैः: by curses
• छापैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; अर्थः—‘curses/marks’ (context: शाप)

• समावृतान्: surrounded, enveloped
• समावृतान्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आवृ (धातु) → समावृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकालिक क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (of नरान्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Revā Khaṇḍa narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Revā appears as a luminous river-devi extending protection to sorrowing men and women; shadowy curse-symbols dissolve as her shining waters carry them across.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Curses (Śāpa)
• Householder suffering

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Revā is praised as a deliverer—she carries beings beyond distress, including karmic afflictions like curses and intense household suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā as a tīrtha granting upliftment from worldly pain and misfortune.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse implies seeking refuge at the river (snāna, darśana, and stuti are typical tīrtha practices).