Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 47
नर्म चैभ्यो ददे यस्मात्तत्कृतैश्चेष्टितैः पृथक् । भविष्यसि वरारोहे सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा तु नर्मदा
narma caibhyo dade yasmāttatkṛtaiśceṣṭitaiḥ pṛthak | bhaviṣyasi varārohe saricchreṣṭhā tu narmadā
यतोऽस्या भिन्नभिन्नैः क्रीडितैश्चेष्टितैश्चैभ्यो गणदेवेभ्यो नर्मं दत्तं, तस्माद् वरारोहे त्वं सरितां श्रेष्ठा भविष्यसि—अतः ‘नर्मदा’ इति ख्याता।
Śiva (Pinākadhṛk), as the namer within the narrative
Tirtha: Narmadā
Type: kshetra
Scene: A radiant river-goddess is blessed as ‘best of rivers’ while celestial attendants (gaṇas/devas) smile at her playful acts; the river’s name is proclaimed as Narmadā.
FAQs
Sacred rivers are not mere geography; they are divine persons whose very ‘name’ encodes grace—Narmadā as the giver of spiritual joy.
The Narmadā/Revā river-tīrtha is explicitly exalted as ‘best among rivers’ (saritśreṣṭhā).
None directly; the verse provides the name-derivation that supports later practices like snāna and tīrtha-yātrā on Narmadā.