Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

किं तु ते कारणं तात वक्ष्यामि नृपसत्तम । समुद्राः सरितः सर्वाः कल्पे कल्पे क्षयं गताः

Transliteration

kiṃ tu te kāraṇaṃ tāta vakṣyāmi nṛpasattama | samudrāḥ saritaḥ sarvāḥ kalpe kalpe kṣayaṃ gatāḥ

Translation

แต่เราจักบอกเหตุแก่เจ้าเถิด โอ้บุตรเอ๋ย โอ้ราชาผู้ประเสริฐยิ่ง: ในกัลป์แล้วกัลป์เล่า มหาสมุทรทั้งปวงและสายน้ำทั้งหลายย่อมถึงความสลาย (ปรลัย)

Word by Word

• किम्: why/what (indeed)
• किम्: Sambandha (Discourse marker/प्रश्न-प्रवर्तन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक/किमर्थे)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/अन्वयार्थक अव्यय)

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• कारणम्: reason/cause
• कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• तात: dear one/son
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• वक्ष्यामि: I will tell
• वक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; कर्मधारय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (नृपः सत्तमः)

• समुद्राः: oceans
• समुद्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• सरितः: rivers
• सरितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (सरितः)

• कल्पे: in a kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• कल्पे: in (each) kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (कल्पे कल्पे = each kalpa)

• क्षयम्: destruction/end
• क्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गताः: have gone (to)/reached
• गताः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाग)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत्/विधेय (have gone to)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā (implied by context)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage instructs a king while the background shows symbolic pralaya: oceans withdrawing, rivers fading into mist, the wheel of time turning above.

Characters & Entities

• Kalpa
• Oceans
• Rivers

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic sacred geography is grounded in cosmology: even holy features dissolve across kalpas, setting up a special exception.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces the unique, enduring greatness of Revā (Narmadā) in contrast to other rivers.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it provides theological-cosmological reasoning for Narmadā’s exceptional status.