Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

श्रीव्यास उवाच । कदाचिन्नारदः श्रीमान्स्नात्वा श्रीनर्मदांभसि । श्रीमदोंकारमभ्यर्च्य सर्वदं सर्वदेहिनाम्

Transliteration

śrīvyāsa uvāca | kadācinnāradaḥ śrīmānsnātvā śrīnarmadāṃbhasi | śrīmadoṃkāramabhyarcya sarvadaṃ sarvadehinām

Translation

ശ്രീവ്യാസൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഒരിക്കൽ ശ്രീമാൻ നാരദൻ പുണ്യനർമദാജലത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത്, സർവ്വദേഹികള്ക്കും സർവ്വവരപ്രദനായ ശ്രീമദ് ഓങ്കാരത്തെ ഭക്തിപൂർവ്വം ആരാധിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• श्रीव्यासः: Śrī Vyāsa
• श्रीव्यासः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री- + व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (श्रीमान् व्यासः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कदाचित्: once, at some time
• कदाचित्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• श्रीमान्: glorious, venerable
• श्रीमान्: Karta-anvaya (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रीमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (नारदस्य)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया

• श्रीनर्मदा-अम्भसि: in the waters of the holy Narmadā
• श्रीनर्मदा-अम्भसि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री- + नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः अम्भः)

• श्रीमत्-ओंकारम्: the glorious Oṃkāra (Oṃ)
• श्रीमत्-ओंकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमत् (प्रातिपदिक) + ओंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् ओंकारः)

• अभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped
• अभ्यर्च्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund); उपसर्गः अभि-

• सर्वदम्: all-bestowing
• सर्वदम्: Karma-anvaya (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ओंकारस्य)

• सर्वदेहिनाम्: of all embodied beings
• सर्वदेहिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां देहिनाम्)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā) and Oṃkāra/Oṃkāreśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, with vīṇā and kamaṇḍalu, completes snāna at Narmadā’s ghāṭ; he offers bilva and water to the Oṃkāra-liṅga on the river-island shrine, with priests and lamps, the river flowing luminous behind.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Nārada
• Narmadā
• Oṃkāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snāna and devotion (arcana) to Śiva’s Oṃkāra form are praised as universally beneficent spiritual practices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā river as a holy tīrtha; Oṃkāra is invoked as a sacred Śaiva focus (commonly associated with Oṃkāreśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the Narmadā and abhyarcana (worship) of Oṃkāra.