Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20
सरिदुवाच । प्रलये समनुप्राप्ते नष्टे स्थावरजंगमे । प्रसादात्तव देवेश अक्षयाहं भवे प्रभो
sariduvāca | pralaye samanuprāpte naṣṭe sthāvarajaṃgame | prasādāttava deveśa akṣayāhaṃ bhave prabho
Sungai itu berkata: “Apabila pralaya tiba dan segala yang bergerak serta yang tidak bergerak musnah, dengan rahmat-Mu, wahai Penguasa para dewa, wahai Prabhu, semoga aku kekal tidak binasa.”
Sarid (the River-goddess; Revā/Narmadā in context)
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) as Akṣayā
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śiva (addressed as Devēśa/Prabhu); king as narrative audience
Scene: A cosmic pralaya backdrop—dark waters and dissolving worlds—contrasted with the river-goddess praying to Śiva for imperishability; Śiva stands calm, transcendent, granting refuge.
FAQs
A tīrtha’s holiness is framed as enduring not merely geographically, but cosmically—rooted in divine grace beyond dissolution.
Revā/Narmadā is presented as an imperishable sacred river-tīrtha.
None directly; it is a prayer for akṣayatva (imperishability) that undergirds later claims about bathing-merit.