Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

तत्रैव दक्षिणे कूले रेवायाः पापहारिणि । चतुर्विंशतिवर्षाणि तपस्तेपेऽथ राघवः

Transliteration

tatraiva dakṣiṇe kūle revāyāḥ pāpahāriṇi | caturviṃśativarṣāṇi tapastepe'tha rāghavaḥ

Translation

അവിടെയേ, പാപഹാരിണിയായ റേവയുടെ തെക്കൻ തീരത്ത്, രാഘവൻ ഇരുപത്തിനാലു വർഷം തപസ്സു അനുഷ്ഠിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphasis: indeed/just)

• दक्षिणे: on the southern
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; ‘on the southern’ (agreeing with कूले)

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

• रेवायाः: of the Revā (Narmadā)
• रेवायाः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• पापहारिणि: (in) the sin-removing (river)
• पापहारिणि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + हारिणी (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पापस्य हारिणी) विशेषणम् (रेवायाः)

• चतुर्विंशतिवर्षाणि: twenty-four years
• चतुर्विंशतिवर्षाणि: Karman/Measure (कर्म-परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्विंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (चतुर्विंशतिः वर्षाणि) कालपरिमाण

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तेपे: performed (austerity)
• तेपे: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (then)

• राघवः: Rāghava (Rāma)
• राघवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) Dakṣiṇa-kūla tapas-sthāna

Type: riverbank/ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma performs austerities on the southern bank of the Revā—forest-river landscape, simple ascetic posture, river flowing as purifier.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Rāghava (Rāma)
• Southern bank of the Revā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is a field of transformation: sustained tapas on the banks of a holy river is upheld as a path to purification and spiritual power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) river—specifically her southern bank—celebrated as pāpahāriṇī (destroyer of sins).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (long austerity) performed at the riverbank is presented as the practice.