Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

तथानिष्टतराणां हि रुद्रस्य वचनं यथा । नर्मदा सरितां श्रेष्ठा रुद्रदेहाद्विनिःसृता

Transliteration

tathāniṣṭatarāṇāṃ hi rudrasya vacanaṃ yathā | narmadā saritāṃ śreṣṭhā rudradehādviniḥsṛtā

Translation

அவ்வாறே ருத்ரனுடைய வாக்கு உறுதியானது—மிகவும் தீயவர்களிடத்திலும். நதிகளில் சிறந்த நர்மதா, ருத்ரனுடைய உடலிலிருந்தே வெளிப்பாய்ந்தாள்.

Word by Word

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: ‘thus/so’)

• aniṣṭatarāṇām: of the more undesirable (ones)
• aniṣṭatarāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aniṣṭatara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक (सामान्य), षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; तुलनात्मक-विशेषण (comparative)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (निपात)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal)

• rudrasya: of Rudra
• rudrasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• vacanam: word; statement
• vacanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• yathā: as
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (as/just as)

• narmadā: Narmadā (river)
• narmadā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• saritām: of rivers
• saritām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• śreṣṭhā: best
• śreṣṭhā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with narmadā)

• rudra-dehāt: from Rudra’s body
• rudra-dehāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक) + deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘रुद्रस्य देहः’

• viniḥsṛtā: issued forth
• viniḥsṛtā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + nis + √sṛ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with narmadā): ‘having issued forth’

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator praising Narmadā’s divine origin)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic Rudra stands in austere majesty; from his body (often from matted locks or a divine pore) streams the Narmadā as a luminous river-goddess, descending to earth; sages and pilgrims witness in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Narmadā’s sanctity is rooted in her Śaiva origin; what arises from Rudra carries exceptional purifying power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā river itself is glorified as the supreme sacred river within this section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual here; it establishes theological authority for later practices like snāna and pilgrimage on the Narmadā.