Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23
यथा गंगा महापुण्या मम मस्तकसंभवा । तद्विशिष्टा महाभागे त्वं चैवेति न संशयः
yathā gaṃgā mahāpuṇyā mama mastakasaṃbhavā | tadviśiṣṭā mahābhāge tvaṃ caiveti na saṃśayaḥ
గంగా మహాపుణ్యవతి, నా మస్తకమునుండి జన్మించినదిగా ఉన్నట్లే, ఓ మహాభాగే! నీవు కూడా అంతే విశిష్టురాలివి—ఇందులో సందేహం లేదు.
Śiva (Mahādeva)
Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā (in parity with Gaṅgā)
Type: river
Listener: Narmadā Devī (addressed as mahābhāgā)
Scene: Śiva with Gaṅgā emerging from his head (iconic Gaṅgāvataraṇa motif) juxtaposed with Narmadā Devī receiving praise; a visual equivalence: two luminous rivers as Śiva’s sanctifying extensions.
FAQs
Divine origin is a mark of tīrtha-power; Śiva affirms Narmadā’s sanctity alongside Gaṅgā’s famed holiness.
Narmadā (Revā) is praised in relation to Gaṅgā, emphasizing her standing as a foremost river-tīrtha.
No direct prescription; the verse serves as theological validation encouraging pilgrimage, reverence, and purification practices at the river.