Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

पातालं तु ततो मुक्त्वा कपिलो मुनिसत्तमः । तपश्चचार सुमहन्नर्मदातटमास्थितः

Transliteration

pātālaṃ tu tato muktvā kapilo munisattamaḥ | tapaścacāra sumahannarmadātaṭamāsthitaḥ

Translation

แล้วกปิละ ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่นักบวช ได้ออกจากปาตาละ และพำนัก ณ ฝั่งแม่น้ำนรมทา บำเพ็ญตบะอันยิ่งใหญ่

Word by Word

• पातालम्: the netherworld (Pātāla)
• पातालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• ततः: from there, then
• ततः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (ततः) = ‘from there/then’ (ablatival adverb)

• मुक्त्वा: having released/freed
• मुक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• कपिलः: Kapila
• कपिलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मुनिसत्तमः: best of sages
• मुनिसत्तमः: Apposition (सम्बोधन/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि-सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनीनां सत्तमः)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• चकार: did, performed
• चकार: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• सुमहन्: very great
• सुमहन्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘आस्थितः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; कर्मधारयः (सु + महत्)

• नर्मदातटम्: the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा-तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः तटम्)

• आस्थितः: having taken his stand, situated
• आस्थितः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-स्था (स्था धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/भूतकर्मणि), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः—‘having taken position/standing’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā-taṭa (Kapila-associated stretch)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame typical; not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kapila emerges from the netherworld realm and arrives at the luminous Narmadā bank; he establishes an austere seat under a tree, river flowing beside, indicating transition from hidden to sacred manifest landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Kapila
• Pātāla
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity on sacred riverbanks is upheld as a potent means of purification and spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā riverbank setting that anchors the Kāpila-tīrtha sanctity in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) undertaken at the Narmadā-taṭa as a dharmic means of purification.