Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

एषा वै वस्त्रसम्भूता नर्मदातोयसम्भवा । महापुण्यतमा ज्ञेया कपिला सरिदुत्तमा

Transliteration

eṣā vai vastrasambhūtā narmadātoyasambhavā | mahāpuṇyatamā jñeyā kapilā sariduttamā

Translation

ਇਹ ਕਪਿਲਾ ਨਿਸ਼ਚੇ ਹੀ ਕਪੜੇ ਤੋਂ ਉਤਪੰਨ ਹੋਈ ਅਤੇ ਨਰਮਦਾ ਦੇ ਜਲ ਤੋਂ ਜਨਮੀ। ਇਸ ਨੂੰ ਮਹਾ-ਪੁਣ੍ਯਮਈ ਜਾਣੋ—ਕਪਿਲਾ, ਨਦੀਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਉੱਤਮ।

Word by Word

• eṣā: this (river)
• eṣā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात

• vastra-sambhūtā: arisen from cloth
• vastra-sambhūtā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vastra (प्रातिपदिक) + sambhūta (√bhū + सम् + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (वस्त्रात् सम्भूता), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृदन्त (क्त)

• narmadā-toya-sambhavā: born from Narmadā’s water
• narmadā-toya-sambhavā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक) + toya (प्रातिपदिक) + sambhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (नर्मदातोयात् सम्भवा), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mahā-puṇya-tamā: most meritorious
• mahā-puṇya-tamā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + -tama (तमप्)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तमप्-प्रत्यय (superlative)

• jñeyā: should be known
• jñeyā: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √jñā (धातु) + -ya (तव्यत्/यत्-भाव)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्/यत्-अर्थे विधेय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'to be known/should be known'

• kapilā: Kapilā
• kapilā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapilā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarit-uttamā: the best river
• sarit-uttamā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarit (प्रातिपदिक) + uttamā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'best river'

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapilā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Kapilā river is shown as a radiant tributary-like stream emerging from a consecrated cloth, merging toward the broader Narmadā; a narrator-sage proclaims her supreme merit as pilgrims bow.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā (river)
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with a great tīrtha (Narmadā) and divine origin makes a river a powerful means of purification and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapilā river, explicitly linked to Narmadā (Revā) and praised as highly merit-giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the verse implies tīrtha-sevā such as bathing and reverent approach due to its great puṇya.