Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अर्धोद्यतभुजां बालां पद्मपत्रायतेक्षणाम् । स्तुवन्तीं देवदेवेशमुत्थितां तु जलात्तदा

Transliteration

ardhodyatabhujāṃ bālāṃ padmapatrāyatekṣaṇām | stuvantīṃ devadeveśamutthitāṃ tu jalāttadā

Translation

तेव्हा त्याने जलातून उठलेली एक बालिका पाहिली—अर्धोन्नत भुजांची, पद्मपत्रासारख्या नेत्रांची—जी देवदेवेशाची स्तुती करीत होती।

Word by Word

• ardha-udyata-bhujām: with arms half-raised
• ardha-udyata-bhujām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ardha (प्रातिपदिक) + udyata (कृदन्त; ud-√yam (यम्) + क्त) + bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अर्धम् उद्यतौ भुजौ यस्याः/या)

• bālām: a young girl
• bālām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• padma-patra-āyata-īkṣaṇām: with lotus-petal-long eyes
• padma-patra-āyata-īkṣaṇām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक) + āyata (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त) + īkṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पद्मपत्रवत् आयतं ईक्षणं यस्याः)

• stuvantīm: praising
• stuvantīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √stu (स्तु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle)

• deva-deva-īśam: the Lord of gods (Supreme Lord)
• deva-deva-īśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (देवानां देवः; तस्य ईशः = Lord of the god of gods / supreme lord)

• utthitām: risen; having arisen
• utthitām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-√sthā (स्था) + kta (क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (risen)

• tu: indeed; but
• tu: Discourse particle (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (indeed/but)

• jalāt: from the water
• jalāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Ablative: from water)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adverbial (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Narrator (a ṛṣi/purāṇic speaker addressing a king; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A youthful maiden rises from the river, arms half-raised in praise, lotus-petal eyes turned upward; water streams from her hair and garments as she chants a hymn to Devadeveśa.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā Devī
• Devadeveśa (supreme lord)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True tīrtha-darśana culminates in stuti—devotion that acknowledges the supreme lord through the goddess’s revelation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā/Revā, where Devī is described as emerging from the waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the act highlighted is stuti (praise), a devotional practice.