Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

विरिञ्चिर्नैव शक्नोति रेवाया गुणकीर्तनम् । कथं ज्ञास्याम्यहं तात रेवामाहात्म्यमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

viriñcirnaiva śaknoti revāyā guṇakīrtanam | kathaṃ jñāsyāmyahaṃ tāta revāmāhātmyamuttamam

Translation

Nem mesmo Viriñci (Brahmā) consegue cantar por inteiro as virtudes da Revā. Como, então, meu querido filho, poderei eu conhecer a suprema grandeza da Revā?

Word by Word

• विरिञ्चिः: Brahmā (Viriñci)
• विरिञ्चिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विरिञ्चि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negative particle)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• शक्नोति: is able (to)
• शक्नोति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शक् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• रेवायाः: of Revā (Narmadā)
• रेवायाः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• गुणकीर्तनम्: praise/recitation of virtues
• गुणकीर्तनम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + कीर्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गुणस्य कीर्तनम्)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• ज्ञास्यामि: shall know
• ज्ञास्यामि: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

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

• तात: dear one/father (address)
• तात: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• रेवामाहात्म्यम्: the greatness of Revā
• रेवामाहात्म्यम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (रेवायाः माहात्म्यम्)

• उत्तमम्: supreme/excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying रेवामाहात्म्यम्)

Speaker

Questioner in the dialogue (likely the king/prince addressed as listener elsewhere; exact attribution not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘tāta’ (dear one) addressed within the dialogue frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator confesses the impossibility of fully praising the Revā; the river appears vast and luminous, with Brahmā implied as unable to exhaust her virtues.

Characters & Entities

• Viriñci (Brahmā)
• Revā (Narmadā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The holiness of Revā (Narmadā) is portrayed as immeasurable, inspiring humility and devotional inquiry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā (Narmadā) herself—her riverine tīrthas and overarching māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse frames a devotional question about knowing the river’s greatness.