Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अणिवापान्तमासाद्य दक्षिणे नर्मदातटे । तस्थौ यत्र व्रती पार्थ जाबालिः प्राशयंस्तिलान्

Transliteration

aṇivāpāntamāsādya dakṣiṇe narmadātaṭe | tasthau yatra vratī pārtha jābāliḥ prāśayaṃstilān

Translation

अणिवापाच्या शेवटास, नर्मदेच्या दक्षिण तीरावर पोहोचून—हे पार्थ—जिथे व्रती जाबालि तिळांचे प्राशन करीत होता तिथे तो स्थिर झाला।

Word by Word

• अणिवापान्तम्: the end/limit of Aṇivāpa (place-name)
• अणिवापान्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अणिवाप (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: अणिवापस्य अन्तः = अणिवापान्तः

• आसाद्य: having reached
• आसाद्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), धातु: सद्, उपसर्ग: आ; अर्थ: ‘प्राप्य/गत्वा’

• दक्षिणे: on the southern (side)
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (singular); विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• नर्मदातटे: on the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: नर्मदायाः तटः = नर्मदातटः

• तस्थौ: stood; stayed
• तस्थौ: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपदम्; धातु: स्था

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location marker/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• व्रती: the vow-observer; ascetic
• व्रती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (singular)

• जाबालिः: Jābāli
• जाबालिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाबालि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• प्राशयन्: eating; consuming
• प्राशयन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अश् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; धातु: अश्, उपसर्ग: प्र

• तिलान्: sesame seeds
• तिलान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (plural)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aṇivāpa-anta (Revā-tīrtha station)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the Narmadā’s southern bank at a marked endpoint, an ascetic (Jābāli) sits in meditation and eats a small portion of sesame; a traveler arrives and pauses respectfully.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Aṇivāpa
• Jābāli
• Pārtha (Arjuna epithet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is pursued through disciplined vrata and tīrtha-residence, anchored in specific sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The southern Narmadā bank near Aṇivāpa, connected to Tilāda Tīrtha and Jābāli’s sesame-vrata.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance of a vrata involving tilaprāśana (sesame consumption) at the Narmadā-side sacred location.