Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सरिदुवाच । प्रलये समनुप्राप्ते नष्टे स्थावरजंगमे । प्रसादात्तव देवेश अक्षयाहं भवे प्रभो

Transliteration

sariduvāca | pralaye samanuprāpte naṣṭe sthāvarajaṃgame | prasādāttava deveśa akṣayāhaṃ bhave prabho

Translation

ନଦୀ କହିଲା—“ହେ ଦେବେଶ! ପ୍ରଳୟ ଆସି ସ୍ଥାବର-ଜଙ୍ଗମ ସବୁ ନଷ୍ଟ ହେଲେ, ହେ ପ୍ରଭୋ, ତୁମ ପ୍ରସାଦରେ ମୁଁ ଅକ୍ଷୟ ରହିବି।”

Word by Word

• सरित्: the river (goddess)
• सरित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• प्रलये: at the dissolution
• प्रलये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• समनुप्राप्ते: when (it) had come/occurred
• समनुप्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+अनु+प्राप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘having arrived/occurred’; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (locative absolute with ‘प्रलये’)

• नष्टे: when (all) was destroyed
• नष्टे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘destroyed’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (locative absolute)

• स्थावरजंगमे: (when) the immobile and mobile beings (were destroyed)
• स्थावरजंगमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थावर (प्रातिपदिक) + जङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व (copulative): ‘स्थावराणि च जङ्गमानि च’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (collective)

• प्रसादात्: from (your) grace
• प्रसादात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• तव: of you, your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• देवेश: O Lord of gods
• देवेश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: ‘देवानाम् ईशः’; पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• अक्षया: imperishable
• अक्षया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• भवे: may I be / I become
• भवे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ) अथवा विधिलिङ्-अर्थे; आत्मनेपद; उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन—अत्र आशंसार्थे ‘may I be’

• प्रभो: O Lord
• प्रभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Sarid (the River-goddess; Revā/Narmadā in context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) as Akṣayā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śiva (addressed as Devēśa/Prabhu); king as narrative audience

Visual Art Cues

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.

Characters & Entities

• Pralaya
• Deveśa (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s holiness is framed as enduring not merely geographically, but cosmically—rooted in divine grace beyond dissolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā is presented as an imperishable sacred river-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a prayer for akṣayatva (imperishability) that undergirds later claims about bathing-merit.