Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

योऽर्चयेन्नर्मदेशानं यतिर्वै संजितेन्द्रियः । स्नात्वा चैव महादेवमश्वमेधफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

yo'rcayennarmadeśānaṃ yatirvai saṃjitendriyaḥ | snātvā caiva mahādevamaśvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

ఇంద్రియనిగ్రహం గల యతి నర్మదేశానుని అర్చించి, అక్కడ స్నానం చేసి మహాదేవుని పూజిస్తే, అతడు అశ్వమేధ యాగఫలాన్ని పొందును।

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun; masc., nominative singular)

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (3rd person singular optative)

• नर्मदेशानम्: Narmadeśāna (Lord of Narmadā)
• नर्मदेशानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + ईशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः ईशानः) (masc., accusative singular)

• यतिः: an ascetic
• यतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc., nominative singular)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Emphasis (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• संजितेन्द्रियः: one who has conquered his senses
• संजितेन्द्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + जि (धातु) → संजित (कृदन्त) + इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (संजितानि इन्द्रियाणि यस्य सः) (masc., nominative singular)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having bathed)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Emphasis (Avadhāraṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphasis)

• महादेवम्: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् देवः) (masc., accusative singular)

• अश्वमेधफलम्: the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• अश्वमेधफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अश्वमेधस्य फलम्) (neuter, accusative singular)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद (3rd person singular optative)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Revā Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadeśāna/Narmadeśvara tirtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava (addressed in adjacent verse; implied continuity)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A renunciant (yati) with calm, restrained demeanor performs snāna in Narmadā, then offers worship to a riverbank liṅga; subtle imagery of aśvamedha (horse-sacrifice) appears as symbolic aura or distant vignette to show equivalence of merit.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadeśāna
• Mahādeva
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere worship with sense-restraint, performed at a sanctified tīrtha, can confer vast merit—comparable to major Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadeśvara/Narmadeśāna on the Narmadā riverbank, as praised in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-snānā (sacred bathing) followed by Śiva-pūjā (worship of Mahādeva) at Narmadeśvara.