Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तः सहस्राक्षः प्रणम्य मुनिसत्तमम् । ब्राह्मणांस्तान्महाभागान्नर्मदां प्रत्यगात्ततः

Transliteration

evamuktaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ praṇamya munisattamam | brāhmaṇāṃstānmahābhāgānnarmadāṃ pratyagāttataḥ

Translation

یوں خطاب سن کر سہسرाक्ष (اندرا) نے افضل ترین مُنی کو سجدۂ تعظیم کیا؛ پھر اُن خوش نصیب برہمنوں کے ساتھ نرمداؔ کی طرف روانہ ہوا۔

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• उक्तः: having been spoken to; addressed
• उक्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उक्त (कृदन्त; √वच्)
• Form: भूतकृत् (past participle), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); विशेषण

• सहस्र-अक्षः: the thousand-eyed one (Indra)
• सहस्र-अक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); बहुव्रीहि (one who has thousand eyes)

• प्रणम्य: having bowed
• प्रणम्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √नम् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• मुनि-सत्तमम्: the best of sages
• मुनि-सत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• तान्: those
• तान्: Visheshana (Determiner/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); विशेषण/सर्वनाम

• महाभागान्: very fortunate, noble
• महाभागान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); विशेषण

• नर्मदाम्: Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदाम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine)

• प्रत्यगात्: went towards; returned to
• प्रत्यगात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + √गम् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय (ablatival adverb: from there/then)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, now Sahasrākṣa, bows to Gautama; then a small procession of brāhmaṇas and the deity-king sets out toward the flowing Narmadā through forested banks.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Sahasrākṣa)
• Gautama
• Brahmins
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility before saints and turning toward tīrtha-practices mark the path of restoration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā (Revā) is explicitly named as the sacred destination.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied tīrtha-yātrā leading to snāna (ritual bathing), which is described in the following verses.