Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

वेदोक्तैश्चैव पूजयेच्छशिशेखरम् । प्रभाते विमले पश्चात्स्नात्वा वै नर्मदाजले

Transliteration

vedoktaiścaiva pūjayecchaśiśekharam | prabhāte vimale paścātsnātvā vai narmadājale

Translation

आणि वेदोक्त विधींनी शशिशेखर (चंद्रमौलि शिव) यांची पूजा करावी; मग निर्मळ प्रभाती नर्मदेच्या जलात स्नान करून।

Word by Word

• veda-uktaiḥ: with Veda-prescribed (rites/mantras)
• veda-uktaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + ukta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vedasya uktāni)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphasis)

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śaśi-śekharam: Śaśiśekhara (Śiva, 'moon-crested')
• śaśi-śekharam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśin (प्रातिपदिक) + śekhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (śaśinaḥ śekharaḥ)

• prabhāte: in the morning
• prabhāte: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; कालवाचक

• vimale: pure, clear
• vimale: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; प्रabhāte इति विशेषण

• paścāt: after that
• paścāt: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (sequence adverb)

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); 'having bathed'

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/assuring particle)

• narmadā-jale: in the waters of the Narmadā
• narmadā-jale: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक) + jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (narmadāyāḥ jalam)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced: Āvantya Khaṇḍa narrative style within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn, a pilgrim stands waist-deep in the Narmadā, offering arghya; nearby a small shrine or liṅga is worshipped with Vedic ritual implements; the sky is pale gold, the river misty and pure.

Characters & Entities

• Śaśiśekhara (Śiva)
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha practice is completed by orthodox worship—purifying the body by river-bath and sanctifying the mind through Vedic-mode devotion to Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā (Revā) is explicitly named; the passage praises bathing in her waters as part of Śaiva tīrtha observance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Veda-ukta pūjā of Śiva (Śaśiśekhara) and morning bathing (snāna) in the Narmadā.