Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

मासानां मार्गशीर्षोऽस्ति नदीनां नर्मदा यथा । मासि मार्गशिरे पार्थ ह्येकादश्यां सितेऽहनि

Transliteration

māsānāṃ mārgaśīrṣo'sti nadīnāṃ narmadā yathā | māsi mārgaśire pārtha hyekādaśyāṃ site'hani

Translation

Sebagaimana antara segala bulan, Mārgaśīrṣa itu yang paling utama, dan antara segala sungai, Narmadā itu yang terunggul; demikianlah—wahai Pārtha—pada hari Ekādaśī yang cerah (Śukla) dalam bulan Mārgaśīrṣa…

Word by Word

• मासानाम्: of the months
• मासानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — genitive plural

• मार्गशीर्षः: Mārgaśīrṣa (month)
• मार्गशीर्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्गशीर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular

• अस्ति: is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 3rd person singular

• नदीनाम्: of the rivers
• नदीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — genitive plural

• नर्मदा: Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा/तुलना-अव्यय — comparative particle

• मासि: in the month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular

• मार्गशिरे: in (the month of) Mārgaśīrṣa
• मार्गशिरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्गशीर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular (Vedic/variant form for मार्गशीर्षे)

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — vocative singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात — emphatic/causal particle

• एकादश्याम्: on Ekādaśī
• एकादश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकादशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular

• सिते: bright (fortnight)
• सिते: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular; विशेषणम् (qualifying)

• अहनि: on the day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular

Speaker

Narrator of the Revā Khaṇḍa (deduced, addressing Pārtha/Arjuna)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā tīrtha (general framing within Revākhaṇḍa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A personified river-goddess Narmadā/Revā is praised as foremost; above, a luminous calendar motif highlights Mārgaśīrṣa śukla Ekādaśī, suggesting an auspicious portal of time over the riverbank tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Mārgaśīrṣa
• Narmadā
• Ekādaśī
• Pārtha (Arjuna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links sacred time (month and tithi) with sacred space (Narmadā), intensifying the fruit of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā and, by context, the Cakratīrtha on her banks.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance is keyed to the bright Ekādaśī in Mārgaśīrṣa, indicating an auspicious vrata-timing.