Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

यानि सन्तीह तीर्थानि पुण्यानि नृपसत्तम । यानि यानीह तीर्थानि नर्मदायास्तटद्वये

Transliteration

yāni santīha tīrthāni puṇyāni nṛpasattama | yāni yānīha tīrthāni narmadāyāstaṭadvaye

Translation

ਹੇ ਨ੍ਰਿਪਸੱਤਮ! ਇੱਥੇ ਜੋ ਜੋ ਤੀਰਥ ਹਨ—ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਤੇ ਪੁੰਨ-ਦਾਇਕ—ਅਤੇ ਜੋ ਜੋ ਤੀਰਥ ਇੱਥੇ ਨਰਮਦਾ ਦੇ ਦੋਹਾਂ ਕੰਢਿਆਂ ਉੱਤੇ ਹਨ…

Word by Word

• यानि: which (things)
• यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• सन्ति: are, exist
• सन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (भुवि)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• तीर्थानि: holy places, tīrthas
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), बहुवचन

• पुण्यानि: holy, meritorious
• पुण्यानि: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थाणि)

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नृपाणां सत्तमः)

• यानि: which (tīrthas)
• यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), बहुवचन; पुनरुक्त सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• यानि: which (indeed)
• यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), बहुवचन; बलार्थ पुनरुक्ति

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• तीर्थानि: tīrthas
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), बहुवचन

• नर्मदायाः: of the Narmadā
• नर्मदायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• तटद्वये: on both banks
• तटद्वये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (द्वे तटे यस्मिन्/द्वयम् तटयोः)

Speaker

Vāyu (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā tīrthas (ubhayataṭa)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpasattama addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic ‘map-scene’ of the Narmadā winding through forests and settlements, with many marked tīrthas on both banks—ghats, kundas, small shrines—pilgrims bathing and offering lamps.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Narmadā’s entire riverine landscape—both banks—is portrayed as saturated with puṇya through countless tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not one single ford; the verse praises the totality of Narmadā’s tīrthas spread along both riverbanks.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the implied practice is tīrtha-yātrā—pilgrimage along the Narmadā banks.