Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

पृथगायतनैः शुभ्रैर्लिङ्गैर्वालुकमृन्मयैः । भ्राजते या सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा नक्षत्रैरिव शर्वरी

Transliteration

pṛthagāyatanaiḥ śubhrairliṅgairvālukamṛnmayaiḥ | bhrājate yā saricchreṣṭhā nakṣatrairiva śarvarī

Translation

นรมทา ผู้ประเสริฐแห่งสายน้ำ ส่องประกายด้วยศาสนสถานอันขาวบริสุทธิ์ที่ตั้งแยกกัน และลึงค์ที่ทำจากทรายกับดินเหนียว ดุจราตรีที่พราวด้วยหมู่ดาว

Word by Word

• पृथक्: separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• आयतनैः: by abodes/shrines
• आयतनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• शुभ्रैः: white, pure
• शुभ्रैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Plural; विशेषण (आयतन/लिङ्ग)

• लिङ्गैः: by liṅgas (Śiva-emblems)
• लिङ्गैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• वालुकमृन्मयैः: made of sand and clay
• वालुकमृन्मयैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वालुका-मृन्मय (प्रातिपदिक; वालुका + मृन्मय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Plural; द्वन्द्व-समास (वालुकमय + मृन्मय)

• भ्राजते: shines
• भ्राजते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्राज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — Present, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada

• या: who/which (she)
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Relative pronoun, Feminine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा: best of rivers
• सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित्-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; सरित् + श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative (1st), Singular; नदीविशेषः

• नक्षत्रैः: with stars / by stars
• नक्षत्रैः: Upamana-sahakari (Standard of comparison/उपमान-सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नक्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• इव: like
• इव: Upama-dyotaka (Comparative marker/उपमा-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• शर्वरी: night
• शर्वरी: Upamana (Object of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative (1st), Singular

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda Purāṇa narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīra Śiva-āyatana-mālā (garland of shrines)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night on the Narmadā: the riverbank is studded with many small white shrines and sand/clay liṅgas, each with a tiny lamp; above, a star-filled sky mirrors the lights below, making the river appear like a celestial band.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Śiva-liṅga (liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Simple forms of devotion—like worshipping liṅgas fashioned from sand or clay—can fill a tīrtha with radiant sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā riverbanks as a Śaiva tīrtha-scape marked by many liṅga-shrines.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied practice of establishing/worshipping liṅgas (even of sand/clay) at the riverbank.