Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

समर्था ये न पश्यन्ति रेवां पुण्यजलां नदीम् । एतस्मात्कारणाद्राजन्हसितो लोकशासनः

Transliteration

samarthā ye na paśyanti revāṃ puṇyajalāṃ nadīm | etasmātkāraṇādrājanhasito lokaśāsanaḥ

Translation

ହେ ରାଜନ୍, ସମର୍ଥ ହୋଇ ମଧ୍ୟ ଯେମାନେ ପୁଣ୍ୟଜଳମୟ ରେବା ନଦୀକୁ ଦର୍ଶନ କରନ୍ତି ନାହିଁ, ଏହି କାରଣରୁ ଲୋକଶାସକ ଯମ ହସିଲେ।

Word by Word

• samarthāḥ: capable, competent (people)
• samarthāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samartha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निषेध-अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधक अव्यय (negative particle)

• paśyanti: see
• paśyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• revām: Revā (Narmadā river)
• revām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: revā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• puṇya-jalām: having holy water
• puṇya-jalām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (puṇyasya jalam) विशेषण

• nadīm: river
• nadīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• etasmāt: from this
• etasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kāraṇāt: from the reason/cause
• kāraṇāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• hasitaḥ: laughed / was laughed (at)
• hasitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hasita (कृदन्त; √has धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• loka-śāsanaḥ: ruler/governor of the world
• loka-śāsanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + śāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (lokānāṃ śāsanam)

Speaker

Narrator addressing the King (with Yama referenced as loka-śāsana)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) darśana-tīrtha; Yama-hāseśvara vicinity

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (king addressed as rājan/rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens as the narrator describes Yama, ‘ruler of worlds,’ laughing at those who could have seen the holy Revā yet did not; the river glows as a ribbon of sanctity beside a forested bank.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When a supreme tīrtha is available, failing to seek it is portrayed as spiritually absurd—hence Yama’s laughter.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā river.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied: make pilgrimage for Revā-darśana (and by extension, Revā-snana).