Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

नर्मदातटमाश्रित्य स्नातुकामो महाबलः । निक्षिप्य पूजयन् देवं कृतजाप्यो नरेश्वर

Transliteration

narmadātaṭamāśritya snātukāmo mahābalaḥ | nikṣipya pūjayan devaṃ kṛtajāpyo nareśvara

Translation

ครั้นถึงฝั่งแม่น้ำนรมทา ผู้มีกำลังยิ่งปรารถนาจะอาบน้ำ จึงวางสิ่งนั้นลงแล้วบูชาพระผู้เป็นเจ้า; ครั้นทำชปะเสร็จสิ้นแล้ว ข้าแต่พระราชา

Word by Word

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

• आश्रित्य: having resorted to
• आश्रित्य: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपदी; अर्थः—‘आश्रयित्वा/गत्वा’

• स्नातु-कामः: desirous to bathe
• स्नातु-कामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (स्नातुम् कामः)

• महाबलः: very strong
• महाबलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् बलः यस्य)

• निक्षिप्य: having placed (down)
• निक्षिप्य: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); अर्थः—‘निक्षेप्य/स्थापयित्वा’

• पूजयन्: worshipping
• पूजयन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृत-जाप्यः: one who has completed the muttered prayer
• कृत-जाप्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातोः क्त) + जाप्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कृतं जाप्यं येन)

• नर-ईश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• नर-ईश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नराणाम् ईश्वरः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā-taṭa (Revā-tīra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nareśvara) addressed in the verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the Narmadā bank, the powerful traveler pauses, sets down what he carries, faces the river, and worships Śiva with focused japa before bathing.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Śiva (Deva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography and practice unite: bathing at Revā (Narmadā) and worship with japa are presented as a complete devotional discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā riverbank (Revā-taṭa) is the sanctified setting emphasized here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at the Narmadā, along with pūjā of the Deva (Śiva) and completion of japa.