Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तथा कुरु जगन्नाथ यथाहं शर्म चाप्नुयाम् । एवमुक्तस्तु देवेशस्तुष्टः प्रोवाच जाह्नवीम्

Transliteration

tathā kuru jagannātha yathāhaṃ śarma cāpnuyām | evamuktastu deveśastuṣṭaḥ provāca jāhnavīm

Translation

“اے جگت ناتھ، ایسا کر کہ میں بھی سکون پا لوں۔” یوں عرض کیے جانے پر دیویوں کے اِیشور خوش ہو کر جاہنوی سے مخاطب ہوا۔

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘तथैव/एवं’

• कुरु: do (it)
• कुरु: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (singular); परस्मैपद

• जगन्नाथ: O Lord of the world
• जगन्नाथ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः नाथः)

• यथा: so that, as
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/उपमानार्थ conjunction/adverb): ‘येन प्रकारेण’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), त्रिलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• शर्म: happiness, welfare
• शर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/coordination particle)

• आप्नुयाम्: may obtain
• आप्नुयाम्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/संभावना), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘एतद्विधेन’

• उक्तः: having been addressed
• उक्तः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘उक्तः’ = ‘addressed/said to’

• तु: then, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/अन्वय particle): ‘तु/अथ’

• देवेशः: the Lord of the gods
• देवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशः)

• तुष्टः: pleased
• तुष्टः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier) देवेशस्य

• प्रोवाच: said, spoke
• प्रोवाच: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग ‘प्र’

• जाह्नवीम्: to Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator within the Purāṇic frame (reports Jāhnavī’s request and Viṣṇu/Deveśa’s response)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-field (Revākhaṇḍa setting)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A supplicant addresses Jagannātha for peace; the pleased Deva turns to speak to Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā personified), setting a sacred decree in motion.

Characters & Entities

• Jagannātha
• Deveśa
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred river seeks divine ordinance so her purifying mission does not become a burden—showing that tīrtha-grace operates under the Lord’s sanction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The river-tīrtha tradition tied to Revā (Narmadā) in this section, with Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) as the addressed deity-persona.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it is a narrative pivot introducing the Lord’s instruction/boon.