Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

ते धन्यास्ते महात्मानस्तेषां जन्म सुजीवितम् । स्नात्वा ये नर्मदातोये देवं पश्यन्ति भास्करम्

Transliteration

te dhanyāste mahātmānasteṣāṃ janma sujīvitam | snātvā ye narmadātoye devaṃ paśyanti bhāskaram

Translation

ผู้ใดเล่าเป็นผู้มีบุญ เป็นมหาตมะ; ชาติกำเนิดของเขาย่อมงดงาม—คือผู้ที่อาบน้ำในสายน้ำนรมทาแล้วได้เฝ้าดูบูชาเทพภาสกร (พระอาทิตย์)

Word by Word

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• धन्याः: blessed, fortunate
• धन्याः: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; विशेषण (ते)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject; emphatic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; पुनरुक्ति-बल (emphatic repetition)

• महात्मानः: great-souled ones
• महात्मानः: Karta (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महन् + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् आत्मा यस्य/महान् आत्मा)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• जन्म: birth, life
• जन्म: Karta (Subject; 'birth/life')
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता/विषय), एकवचन

• सुजीवितम्: well-lived, a good life
• सुजीवितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of जन्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + जीवित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयभावः (सु-जीवितम् = well-lived) विशेषण (जन्म)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriyā (Absolutive; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• नर्मदातोये: in the waters of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातोये: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः तोये)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• पश्यन्ति: see
• पश्यन्ति: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• भास्करम्: the Sun (Bhāskara)
• भास्करम्: Karma (Object; apposition to देवम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भास्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; देवस्य विशेषण-रूपेण (apposition)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) + Bhāskara-darśana at the solar tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A line of pilgrims emerges from the Narmadā after bathing; they fold hands facing the rising Sun (Bhāskara) whose rays illuminate their faces; sages bless them, emphasizing ‘dhanya’ and ‘sujīvita’.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Bhāskara (Sūrya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A life is fulfilled when sacred bathing is joined with darśana—direct devotional vision of the deity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā river (Revā) as a tīrtha, central to the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna in Narmadā waters followed by darśana of Bhāskara (Sūrya).