Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

एषा वै वस्त्रसम्भूता नर्मदातोयसम्भवा । महापुण्यतमा ज्ञेया कपिला सरिदुत्तमा

Transliteration

eṣā vai vastrasambhūtā narmadātoyasambhavā | mahāpuṇyatamā jñeyā kapilā sariduttamā

Translation

Ang Kapilā na ito’y tunay na nagmula sa isang tela, at isinilang mula sa mga tubig ng Narmadā. Kilalanin siya bilang pinakadakila sa kabanalan—Kapilā, ang pinakamainam sa mga ilog.

Word by Word

• eṣā: this (river)
• eṣā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात

• vastra-sambhūtā: arisen from cloth
• vastra-sambhūtā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vastra (प्रातिपदिक) + sambhūta (√bhū + सम् + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (वस्त्रात् सम्भूता), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृदन्त (क्त)

• narmadā-toya-sambhavā: born from Narmadā’s water
• narmadā-toya-sambhavā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक) + toya (प्रातिपदिक) + sambhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (नर्मदातोयात् सम्भवा), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mahā-puṇya-tamā: most meritorious
• mahā-puṇya-tamā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + -tama (तमप्)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तमप्-प्रत्यय (superlative)

• jñeyā: should be known
• jñeyā: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √jñā (धातु) + -ya (तव्यत्/यत्-भाव)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्/यत्-अर्थे विधेय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'to be known/should be known'

• kapilā: Kapilā
• kapilā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapilā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarit-uttamā: the best river
• sarit-uttamā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarit (प्रातिपदिक) + uttamā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'best river'

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapilā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Kapilā river is shown as a radiant tributary-like stream emerging from a consecrated cloth, merging toward the broader Narmadā; a narrator-sage proclaims her supreme merit as pilgrims bow.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā (river)
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with a great tīrtha (Narmadā) and divine origin makes a river a powerful means of purification and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapilā river, explicitly linked to Narmadā (Revā) and praised as highly merit-giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the verse implies tīrtha-sevā such as bathing and reverent approach due to its great puṇya.