Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

सप्तकल्पक्षये क्षीणे न मृता तेन नर्मदा । नर्मदैकैव राजेन्द्र परं तिष्ठेत्सरिद्वरा

Transliteration

saptakalpakṣaye kṣīṇe na mṛtā tena narmadā | narmadaikaiva rājendra paraṃ tiṣṭhetsaridvarā

Translation

ସାତ କଳ୍ପର ପ୍ରଳୟ-କ୍ଷୟ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ହେଲେ ମଧ୍ୟ ନର୍ମଦା ନଶ୍ଟ ହୁଏ ନାହିଁ। ତେଣୁ ହେ ରାଜେନ୍ଦ୍ର, ନର୍ମଦା ଏକାଇ ପରମ ଭାବେ ଅବିଚଳ ରହେ—ନଦୀମାନଙ୍କ ମଧ୍ୟରେ ଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ।

Word by Word

• सप्तकल्पक्षये: at the destruction of seven kalpas
• सप्तकल्पक्षये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त + कल्प + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष (सप्तानां कल्पानां क्षये = at the destruction of seven kalpas)

• क्षीणे: when (it is) exhausted/ended
• क्षीणे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षी (धातु) → क्षीण (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त/PPP, पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (सप्तकल्पक्षये)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• मृता: died
• मृता: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाग)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृ (धातु) → मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त/PPP, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय (नर्मदा)

• तेन: therefore/by that
• तेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

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

• नर्मदा: Narmadā
• नर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति/उपपद (emphatic)

• एका: alone/one
• एका: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण/निश्चयार्थक)

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक; कर्मधारय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (राज्ञां इन्द्रः)

• परम्: further/onward/supremely
• परम्: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (क्रियाविशेषण; 'परम्' = further/afterwards/above all)

• तिष्ठेत्: would remain/stand
• तिष्ठेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सरिद्वरा: the best of rivers
• सरिद्वरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् + वर (प्रातिपदिक; कर्मधारय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (सरितां वरा)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Personified Narmadā as a radiant goddess rising from a river, while cosmic ages crumble in the background; sages and kings bow on the banks.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Narmadā is proclaimed uniquely enduring, signaling an extraordinary spiritual potency that transcends cosmic cycles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā is directly glorified as the foremost river-tīrtha, surpassing others in enduring sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse establishes the doctrinal basis for Narmadā-pilgrimage and Narmadā-snāna as exceptionally meritorious.