Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सप्तकल्पानुगो विप्रो नर्मदायां मुनीश्वराः । मृकण्डतनयो धीमान्परमार्थविदुत्तमः

Transliteration

saptakalpānugo vipro narmadāyāṃ munīśvarāḥ | mṛkaṇḍatanayo dhīmānparamārthaviduttamaḥ

Translation

اے مونیوں کے سردارو، نَرمدا کے کنارے ایک وِپر (برہمن) تھا جو سات کلپوں تک قائم رہا—مِرکنڈ کا فرزند، دانا، اور پرمارَتھ کے جاننے والوں میں سب سے برتر۔

Word by Word

• सप्त-कल्प-अनुगः: one who continues through seven kalpas
• सप्त-कल्प-अनुगः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + कल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: ‘सप्तकल्पान् अनुगच्छति/अनुगः’ (following through seven kalpas); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• विप्रः: a brāhmaṇa
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• मुनीश्वराः: sage-lords, great sages
• मुनीश्वराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय: ‘मुनय एव ईश्वराः’ (lords among sages); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मृकण्ड-तनयः: son of Mṛkaṇḍa
• मृकण्ड-तनयः: Apposition (Same referent/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृकण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + तनय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘मृकण्डस्य तनयः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• धीमान्: wise, intelligent
• धीमान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धीमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• परम-अर्थ-विद्-उत्तमः: the best knower of the highest truth
• परम-अर्थ-विद्-उत्तमः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + विद् (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘परमार्थं वेत्ति’ (knower of highest truth) + ‘उत्तम’ (best); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Vāyu (addressing ṛṣis within the narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Munīśvarāḥ / Viprāḥ (assembled sages/brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A venerable sage (Mārkaṇḍeya) seated by the Narmadā, radiant with austerity; the river flows beside his hermitage, suggesting timeless continuity across kalpas.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Mṛkaṇḍa
• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Narmadā tradition is anchored in ancient, realized sages; true sacred geography is transmitted by those established in paramārtha (highest truth).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā river-region broadly, as the long-standing seat of Mārkaṇḍeya’s spiritual presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse establishes the authority (pramāṇa) of the speaker-sage connected with Narmadā.