Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । एतस्मिन्नन्तरे रुद्रो नर्मदातटमास्थितः । क्रीडते ह्युमया सार्द्धं नारदस्तत्र चागतः

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | etasminnantare rudro narmadātaṭamāsthitaḥ | krīḍate hyumayā sārddhaṃ nāradastatra cāgataḥ

Translation

มารกัณฑेयกล่าวว่า: ในกาลนั้น รุทระประทับอยู่ ณ ฝั่งแม่น้ำนรมทา ทรงสำราญกีฬากับอุมา และนารทก็ได้มาถึง ณ ที่นั้นด้วย

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्

• अन्तरे: in the interval, meanwhile
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्; ‘अन्तरे’ = in the interval

• रुद्रः: Rudra (Śiva)
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• नर्मदा-तटम्: the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदा-तटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः तटम्)

• आस्थितः: having taken position, standing
• आस्थितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √स्था (धातु) → आस्थित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कर्तरि कृदन्तः (past participle, active sense); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• क्रीडते: plays, sports
• क्रीडते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

• हि: indeed
• हि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle), अव्ययम्

• उमया: with Umā
• उमया: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental), एकवचनम्

• सार्धम्: together (with)
• सार्धम्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; सहार्थक-अव्ययम् (indeclinable meaning ‘together with’)

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb of place)

• च: and
• च: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• आगतः: came, arrived
• आगतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √गम् (धातु) → आगत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कर्तरि कृदन्तः (past participle, active sense); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a lush riverbank, Rudra with ash-smeared body and crescent moon sports with Umā; Nārada arrives from the sky-path, vīṇā in hand, approaching with folded palms; Narmadā flows serenely behind.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Rudra (Śiva)
• Umā (Pārvatī)
• Nārada
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse frames the Narmadā riverbank as a sanctified space where divine presence and instruction naturally manifest.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) riverbank, a central sacred landscape of the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated in this verse; it sets the sacred scene for the ensuing teaching.