Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

मर्दयित्वा करौ पूर्वं विष्णुर्दैत्यजिघांसया । चक्रं जग्राह तत्रैव स्वेदाज्जाता सरिद्वरा

Transliteration

mardayitvā karau pūrvaṃ viṣṇurdaityajighāṃsayā | cakraṃ jagrāha tatraiva svedājjātā saridvarā

Translation

ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਦੋਵੇਂ ਹੱਥ ਮਲ ਕੇ, ਦੈਤਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਸੰਹਾਰ ਦੀ ਇੱਛਾ ਨਾਲ ਵਿਸ਼ਨੁ ਨੇ ਓਥੇ ਹੀ ਆਪਣਾ ਚੱਕਰ ਧਾਰਨ ਕੀਤਾ; ਅਤੇ ਉਸ ਦੇ ਪਸੀਨੇ ਤੋਂ ਉਹ ਉੱਤਮ ਨਦੀ ਉਤਪੰਨ ਹੋਈ।

Word by Word

• मर्दयित्वा: having crushed / having rubbed
• मर्दयित्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मृद्/मर्द् (धातु; णिच् causative)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• करौ: (his) two hands
• करौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• पूर्वम्: first / beforehand
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• दैत्य-जिघांसया: with the desire to kill the demons
• दैत्य-जिघांसया: Hetu (Cause/Motive/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य + जिघांसा (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• चक्रम्: the discus
• चक्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• जग्राह: took / seized
• जग्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• एव: indeed / just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle/emphasis)

• स्वेदात्: from sweat
• स्वेदात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• जाता: born / arisen
• जाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• सरित्-वरा: the excellent river
• सरित्-वरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् + वरा (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual attribution within Revā Khaṇḍa narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kara-nadī (divine-origin stream)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu, poised for battle against demons, rubs his palms; sweat drops fall and become a shining river that begins to flow toward a larger sacred river.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Daitya (demons)
• Cakra (Sudarśana)
• A sacred river (saridvarā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even divine acts undertaken for the protection of dharma can sanctify geography—here, a river becomes holy through the Lord’s presence and power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A river-tīrtha in the Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape, described as arising at the spot of Viṣṇu’s act.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed in this verse; it provides the tīrtha’s divine origin that grounds later bathing/merit statements.