Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तोषिता परया भक्त्या नर्मदोत्तरके तटे । तस्य तुष्टा महादेवी शङ्करार्धाङ्गधारिणी

Transliteration

toṣitā parayā bhaktyā narmadottarake taṭe | tasya tuṣṭā mahādevī śaṅkarārdhāṅgadhāriṇī

Translation

നർമദയുടെ ഉത്തരതീരത്ത് അവന്റെ പരമഭക്തിയാൽ ദേവി പ്രസന്നയായി; ശങ്കരാർധാംഗധാരിണിയായ മഹാദേവി അവനിൽ സന്തുഷ്ടയായി।

Word by Word

• तोषिता: pleased, satisfied
• तोषिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तोषित (कृदन्त; √तुष् धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) — ‘सन्तुष्टा/प्रसन्ना’

• परया: by supreme/great
• परया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• भक्त्या: by devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• नर्मदा-उत्तरके: on the northern (bank) of the Narmadā
• नर्मदा-उत्तरके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः उत्तरकः)

• तटे: on the bank
• तटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तुष्टा: pleased
• तुष्टा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष्ट (कृदन्त; √तुष् धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त)

• महादेवी: the Great Goddess
• महादेवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महा + देवी)

• शङ्कर-अर्धाङ्ग-धारिणी: she who bears Śaṅkara as (her) half-body
• शङ्कर-अर्धाङ्ग-धारिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्धाङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + धारिणी (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √धृ धातु, णिनि-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शङ्करस्य अर्धाङ्गं धारयति इति)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadottara-taṭa (Revā-tīra context)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the serene Narmadā northern bank, a sage absorbed in devotion; Devī as Śaṅkarārdhāṅgadhāriṇī (Ardhanārī/Umā with Śiva) appears, pleased, radiating grace over the river.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī (Gaurī/Pārvatī)
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supreme devotion (parā-bhakti) is portrayed as the direct cause of divine satisfaction and blessing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The northern bank of the Narmadā, within the Pāreśvara-associated sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devotional tapas/bhakti as the means to please the Goddess; no specific material offering is stated here.