Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

दृष्टवान्नर्मदां देवीं मृगकृष्णाम्बरां पुनः । सधूमाशनिनिर्ह्रादैर्वहन्तीं सप्तधा तदा

Transliteration

dṛṣṭavānnarmadāṃ devīṃ mṛgakṛṣṇāmbarāṃ punaḥ | sadhūmāśaninirhrādairvahantīṃ saptadhā tadā

Translation

پھر میں نے دیوی نَرمدا کو دیکھا، جو سیاہ ہرن کی کھال اوڑھے ہوئے تھی؛ تب وہ دھوئیں بھرے گرج اور بجلی کی کڑک کے ساتھ سات دھاراؤں میں بہہ نکلی۔

Word by Word

• दृष्टवान्: having seen
• दृष्टवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्टवत् (कृदन्त; √दृश्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); भूतकाले कर्तरि कृदन्त (past active participle)

• नर्मदाम्: Narmadā
• नर्मदाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• देवीम्: the goddess
• देवीम्: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• मृग-कृष्ण-अम्बराम्: wearing a black deer-skin garment
• मृग-कृष्ण-अम्बराम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक) + कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्बर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: again)

• स-धूम-आशनि-निर्ह्रादैः: with thunderous roars of smoky lightning
• स-धूम-आशनि-निर्ह्रादैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स (प्रातिपदिक) + धूम (प्रातिपदिक) + आशनि (प्रातिपदिक) + निर्ह्राद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (plural)

• वहन्तीम्: flowing/carrying
• वहन्तीम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वहन्त् (कृदन्त; √वह्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular); वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि कृदन्त (present active participle)

• सप्तधा: in seven streams / sevenfold
• सप्तधा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सप्तधा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner: sevenfold)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā (Sapta-dhārā manifestation)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Royal addressee (rājasattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Narmadā Devī appears wearing dark deerskin, surging in seven streams amid smoky thunder and lightning’s roar.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred river is not merely geography but a divine power that can manifest in many forms—gentle for purification and fierce for cosmic correction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā (Revā) herself is the tīrtha-deity being glorified, presented in a dramatic sevenfold manifestation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription appears; the verse contributes to the river’s māhātmya by portraying her divine potency.