Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तानृषीन् समनुज्ञाप्य शिष्यैरनुगतस्ततः । निवृत्तः सुमहाभाग नर्मदाकूलमागतः

Transliteration

tānṛṣīn samanujñāpya śiṣyairanugatastataḥ | nivṛttaḥ sumahābhāga narmadākūlamāgataḥ

Translation

ครั้นข้าพเจ้าได้ล่ำลาบรรดาฤๅษีเหล่านั้นแล้ว และมีศิษย์ติดตามไปด้วย โอ้ท่านผู้มีมหาภาค ข้าพเจ้าจึงออกเดินทางและมาถึงฝั่งแม่น้ำนรมทา

Word by Word

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• ऋषीन्: sages
• ऋषीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• समनुज्ञाप्य: having taken leave / having obtained permission
• समनुज्ञाप्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+अनु+ज्ञा (धातु) → समनुज्ञाप्य (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; धातु: ज्ञा (to know/permit) with उपसर्ग सम्+अनु

• शिष्यैः: by/with disciples
• शिष्यैः: Sahakāraka (Associate/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/सह), बहुवचन

• अनुगतः: followed (accompanied)
• अनुगतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु+गम् (धातु) → अनुगत (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृत् (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; धातु: गम् with उपसर्ग अनु

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Adhikaraṇa (Context/स्थान-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकार: अव्यय-प्रत्ययान्त/तसिल् (ablatival adverb)

• निवृत्तः: returned
• निवृत्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि+वृत् (धातु) → निवृत्त (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृत् (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; धातु: वृत् (to turn/return) with उपसर्ग नि

• सु-महा-भाग: O very fortunate one
• सु-महा-भाग: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (vocative), पुंलिङ्ग, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (सु+महाभाग = very fortunate)

• नर्मदा-कूलम्: the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदा-कूलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + कूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः कूलम्)

• आगतः: came/arrived
• आगतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+गम् (धातु) → आगत (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृत् (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; धातु: गम् with उपसर्ग आ

Speaker

Markaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā-tīra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as 'mahābhāga' (a fortunate interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A venerable sage departs from a forest hermitage after saluting assembled ṛṣis; disciples follow in a line; the wide Narmadā appears ahead with sandy bank, śāla/vaṭa trees, and distant hills.

Characters & Entities

• Markaṇḍeya
• Narmadā
• Disciples
• Ṛṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rivers are approached through humility and proper leave-taking; pilgrimage is embedded in dharmic conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā’s riverbank is introduced as the immediate sacred setting for the forthcoming tīrtha account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse models etiquette (seeking permission) and the guru’s travel with disciples.