Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अग्निरुवाच । नर्मदेयं महाभागा सरितो याश्च षोडश । भवन्तु मम पत्न्यस्तास्त्वत्प्रसादान्महेश्वर

Transliteration

agniruvāca | narmadeyaṃ mahābhāgā sarito yāśca ṣoḍaśa | bhavantu mama patnyastāstvatprasādānmaheśvara

Translation

ଅଗ୍ନି କହିଲା—“ହେ ମହେଶ୍ୱର! ଆପଣଙ୍କ ପ୍ରସାଦରେ ନର୍ମଦା ଓ ଷୋଳ ପୁଣ୍ୟ ସରିତା ମୋର ପତ୍ନୀ ହେଉନ୍ତୁ।”

Word by Word

• agniḥ: Agni
• agniḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• narmadeyam: connected with Narmadā
• narmadeyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक) + -eya (तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तद्धितान्त-विशेषण (derived adjective: ‘belonging to Narmadā’)

• mahābhāgāḥ: fortunate (ones)
• mahābhāgāḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास; (सरितः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणरूपेण)

• saritaḥ: rivers
• saritaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• yāḥ: which
• yāḥ: Karta (Correlative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ṣoḍaśa: sixteen
• ṣoḍaśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣoḍaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सङ्ख्यावाचक-विशेषणम् (numeral adjective), अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः

• bhavantu: let them become
• bhavantu: Kriyā (Benedictive command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• patnyaḥ: wives
• patnyaḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• tāḥ: those (they)
• tāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• tvat: your
• tvat: Sambandha (Genitive in compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• prasādāt: from (your) grace
• prasādāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source/हेतु-अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prasāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ/कारण (ablative of cause)

• maheśvara: O Maheśvara
• maheśvara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

Speaker

Agni

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) and allied sixteen rivers

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of the Revā-māhātmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agni, personified as a radiant deity, petitions Śiva: Narmadā and sixteen rivers appear as graceful river-goddesses, each with water-pot/lotus, flowing garments, and wave motifs.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Narmadā (Revā)
• Sixteen rivers
• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rivers are revered as divine persons; relationship with them signifies sanctification and the flow of dharma into ritual life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā (Revā) is explicitly glorified as a foremost sacred river within the Skanda Purāṇa’s tīrtha-map.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse frames the theological basis for venerating Narmadā and other rivers as goddess-powers.