Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

केचित्प्रविष्टा जाह्नव्यामन्ये च तपसि स्थिताः

Transliteration

kecitpraviṣṭā jāhnavyāmanye ca tapasi sthitāḥ

Translation

บางพญางูลงสู่ชาห์นวี (คงคา) และบางตนก็ดำรงมั่นอยู่ในตบะ (ตปัส)

Word by Word

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम

• प्रविष्टाः: entered
• प्रविष्टाः: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र+विश् (धातु) → प्रविष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; कर्तरि प्रयोग (having entered)

• जाह्नव्याम्: in the Jāhnavī (Ganges)
• जाह्नव्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; नदी-नाम (Ganges)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तपसि: in austerity / penance
• तपसि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• स्थिताः: remained / stayed
• स्थिताः: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; कर्तरि प्रयोग (stayed/abided)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, unspecified in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Some serpents slip into the flowing Gaṅgā, disappearing beneath shimmering waters, while others sit coiled in stillness practicing tapas on riverbanks or in secluded groves; the mood turns from panic to disciplined refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• Serpents (Nāgas)
• Tapas (austerity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When threatened, beings seek purification (a sacred river) and inner transformation (tapas)—two classic Purāṇic paths toward relief and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jāhnavī—i.e., the Gaṅgā—is referenced as a sacred refuge, though the main section remains the Revā (Narmadā) context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied practices only: bathing/entering a sacred river and undertaking tapas; no formal vow is specified.