Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अहो भगवती पुण्या नर्मदेयमयोनिजा । रुद्रदेहाद्विनिष्क्रान्ता महापापक्षयंकरी

Transliteration

aho bhagavatī puṇyā narmadeyamayonijā | rudradehādviniṣkrāntā mahāpāpakṣayaṃkarī

Translation

آہ! یہ نَرمدا دیوی نہایت مبارک اور پاک ہے—کسی رحم سے جنمی نہیں؛ رُدر کے اپنے جسم سے ظاہر ہوئی، بڑے بڑے گناہوں کو بھی مٹانے والی۔

Word by Word

• अहो: oh! alas!
• अहो: Sambodhana/Exclamation (सम्बोधनार्थ-निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मय/आश्चर्यसूचक-निपात (interjection/particle of exclamation)

• भगवती: the Blessed Lady (goddess)
• भगवती: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेष्य (addressed deity)

• पुण्या: holy, meritorious
• पुण्या: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying भगवती)

• नर्मदा: Narmadā (river-goddess)
• नर्मदा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नाम (proper noun)

• इयम्: this (she)
• इयम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• अयोनिजा: not womb-born; unoriginated
• अयोनिजा: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + योनिज (प्रातिपदिक; योनिज = योनि + ज)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष (न-योनिजा) विशेषण

• रुद्रदेहात्: from Rudra’s body
• रुद्रदेहात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र + देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (रुद्रस्य देहः)

• विनिष्क्रान्ता: emerged, came out
• विनिष्क्रान्ता: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + नि + √क्रम् (धातु) → निष्क्रान्त (कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), क्त-प्रत्यय; ‘having come forth’

• महापापक्षयंकरी: destroyer of great sins
• महापापक्षयंकरी: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापाप + क्षय + कर (प्रातिपदिक; कर = √कृ ‘to do’ से)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (महापापस्य क्षयम् करोति) विशेषण

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revatī/Narmadā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śaunaka-ādi (typical) or an in-text interlocutor praising Narmadā (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant river-goddess Narmadā rises from Rudra/Śiva’s body, flowing as a luminous stream; sages on the bank offer añjali while the river glows with purifying power.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Rudra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Narmadā is revered as a divine presence whose very origin from Rudra makes her uniquely capable of removing even grave karmic impurities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā/Revā herself as a living tīrtha, celebrated within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated, but the verse supports tīrtha-sevā such as snāna, darśana, and pilgrimage to Narmadā.