Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

एषा ते कथिता तात कावेरी सरितां वरा । रुद्रदेहसमुत्पन्ना तेन पुण्या सरिद्वरा

Transliteration

eṣā te kathitā tāta kāverī saritāṃ varā | rudradehasamutpannā tena puṇyā saridvarā

Translation

ดูลูกรัก เราได้กล่าวแก่เจ้าแล้วถึงแม่น้ำกาเวรี ผู้ประเสริฐยิ่งในหมู่สายน้ำทั้งหลาย นางบังเกิดจากพระวรกายของพระรุทรา ฉะนั้นจึงเป็นสายน้ำอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ยิ่ง เป็นยอดแห่งธารทิพย์

Word by Word

• एषा: this (she)
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (here: dative ‘to you’)

• कथिता: has been told
• कथिता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘has been told’

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

• कावेरी: Kāverī (river)
• कावेरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कावेरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सरिताम्: of rivers
• सरिताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• वरा: excellent/best
• वरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कावेरी)

• रुद्रदेहसमुत्पन्ना: arisen from Rudra’s body
• रुद्रदेहसमुत्पन्ना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुद्र-देह-समुत्पन्न (प्रातिपदिक; उत्पद् धातु-निष्पन्न कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), विशेषणम् (कावेरी); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (रुद्रस्य देहात् समुत्पन्ना)

• तेन: therefore/for that reason
• तेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पुण्या: holy/meritorious
• पुण्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सरिद्वरा)

• सरिद्वरा: the best river
• सरिद्वरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित्-वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (वरा सरित् = सरिद्वरा)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purana narrative framework)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāverī

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāverī appears as a radiant river-goddess emerging from Rudra’s body/aura; sages and devotees offer water-libations; the river is crowned as ‘best among rivers’.

Characters & Entities

• Kāverī
• Rudra (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāverī’s holiness is grounded in her divine origin from Rudra, making her a premier purifier and giver of puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāverī river itself as a supreme tīrtha-river within the Skanda Purana’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit act is commanded here; it concludes the praise establishing Kāverī’s sanctity (supporting snāna, dāna, and darśana in context).