Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

नर्मदा शर्मदा चैव नदी गोदावरी तथा । शतद्रुश्च तथा विंध्या पयोष्णी वरदा तथा

Transliteration

narmadā śarmadā caiva nadī godāvarī tathā | śatadruśca tathā viṃdhyā payoṣṇī varadā tathā

Translation

นรมทาและศรมทา อีกทั้งแม่น้ำโคทาวรี; ศตทรุ และเช่นเดียวกัน (แม่น้ำ) วินธยา; ปโยษณี และวรทา ด้วย

Word by Word

• नर्मदा: Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• शर्मदा: Śarmadā (river)
• शर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• नदी: river (named Nadī)
• नदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गोदावरी: Godāvarī (river)
• गोदावरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोदावरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: also/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/तुल्यार्थक अव्यय (also/likewise)

• शतद्रुः: Śatadru (Sutlej river)
• शतद्रुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतद्रु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/तुल्यार्थक अव्यय (also)

• विंध्या: Vindhyā (river/name)
• विंध्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विंध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पयोष्णी: Payoṣṇī (river)
• पयोष्णी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयोष्णी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वरदा: Varadā (river)
• वरदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/तुल्यार्थक अव्यय (also)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (invoking Narmadā–Godāvarī etc.)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A second procession of river-deities: Narmadā as a regal goddess with a river-boat motif, Godāvarī with lotus garlands, Śatadru as a swift northern river spirit; they converge symbolically toward a coastal shrine, indicating the kṣetra’s universal reach.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Śarmadā
• Godāvarī
• Śatadru
• Vindhyā
• Payoṣṇī
• Varadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A pan-Indian map of holiness is presented through river tīrthas, reinforcing dharma through sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya context uses these rivers as comparative tīrthas to heighten the sanctity of pilgrimage practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna in sacred rivers (continued/confirmed by the next verse’s stated fruit).