Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

सरितां च यथा गङ्गा देवतानां जनार्दनः । शुक्लतीर्थं तथा पुण्यं नर्मदायां व्यवस्थितम्

Transliteration

saritāṃ ca yathā gaṅgā devatānāṃ janārdanaḥ | śuklatīrthaṃ tathā puṇyaṃ narmadāyāṃ vyavasthitam

Translation

جس طرح دریاؤں میں گنگا سب سے برتر ہے اور دیوتاؤں میں جناردن سب سے برتر ہیں، اسی طرح نرمدا پر قائم شُکل تیرتھ نہایت اعلیٰ درجے کا مقدس ہے۔

Word by Word

• सरिताम्: of rivers
• सरिताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Connector (Upamā/यथा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमानवाचक

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• देवतानाम्: of the deities
• देवतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• जनार्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• शुक्लतीर्थम्: Śukla-tīrtha
• शुक्लतीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्ल + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय

• तथा: so; likewise
• तथा: Connector (correlative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, यथा-तथा सम्बन्ध (correlative)

• पुण्यम्: sacred; meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Predicate/Viśeṣaṇa (Predicative qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेयविशेषणम् (शुक्लतीर्थम्)

• नर्मदायाम्: in/on the Narmadā
• नर्मदायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• व्यवस्थितम्: situated; established
• व्यवस्थितम्: Predicate/Viśeṣaṇa (Predicative qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यवस्था + क्त (कृदन्त; √स्था (धातु) उपसर्गः वि+अव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, ‘स्थित’ = situated/established; विशेषणम् (शुक्लतीर्थम्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely a sage addressing Yudhiṣṭhira within Revā-khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śukla-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tripartite comparison tableau: Gaṅgā personified as a goddess on a makara, Janārdana (Viṣṇu) enthroned with śaṅkha-cakra, and Śukla-tīrtha shown as a radiant white ghat on Narmadā—linked by a visual 'chief' motif (crowns/halos).

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• Śuklatīrtha
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True holiness is recognized by spiritual preeminence: Śuklatīrtha is praised as a foremost source of puṇya, like Gaṅgā among rivers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śuklatīrtha, described as situated on the banks/waters of the Narmadā (Revā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly in this verse; it primarily offers praise (māhātmya) by comparison.