Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

न्यग्रोधमूलसांनिध्ये सूक्ष्मान्यस्थीनि द्रक्ष्यसि । समूह्य तानि संगृह्य गच्छ रेवां द्विजोत्तम

Transliteration

nyagrodhamūlasāṃnidhye sūkṣmānyasthīni drakṣyasi | samūhya tāni saṃgṛhya gaccha revāṃ dvijottama

Translation

ใกล้โคนต้นไทร (นยโครธะ) เจ้าจะเห็นกระดูกเล็กละเอียด จงรวบรวมให้เป็นกอง เก็บไว้ด้วยความระมัดระวัง แล้วไปยังแม่น้ำเรวาเถิด โอ พราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐ

Word by Word

• न्यग्रोध-मूल-सांनिध्ये: in the vicinity of the banyan tree’s root
• न्यग्रोध-मूल-सांनिध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्यग्रोध (प्रातिपदिक) + मूल (प्रातिपदिक) + सांनिध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (न्यग्रोधस्य मूलस्य सांनिध्ये)

• सूक्ष्मानि: subtle, tiny
• सूक्ष्मानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (अस्थीनि इति)

• अस्थीनि: bones
• अस्थीनि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म/Accusative), बहुवचन

• द्रक्ष्यसि: you will see
• द्रक्ष्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• समूह्य: having gathered together
• समूह्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + ऊह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Absolutive/Gerund)

• तानि: those (things)
• तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• संगृह्य: having collected
• संगृह्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Absolutive/Gerund)

• गच्छ: go
• गच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• रेवाम्: to the Reva (Narmadā) river
• रेवाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of Brahmins
• द्विजोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः

Speaker

Kanyā (the maiden)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijoत्तama (addressed brāhmaṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa at a riverbank banyan tree carefully finds tiny bone fragments in the roots, gathers them in a cloth, and prepares to walk toward the sacred Revā waters.

Characters & Entities

• Revā/Narmadā
• nyagrodha/vaṭa (banyan)
• dvijottama (brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate ritual duty toward the departed is integrated with tīrtha pilgrimage and careful, reverent action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā, approached via a banyan-root landmark where the remains are to be found.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Locate the bones near the banyan roots, gather and collect them, then proceed to the Revā for the next rite.