Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 47
नर्म चैभ्यो ददे यस्मात्तत्कृतैश्चेष्टितैः पृथक् । भविष्यसि वरारोहे सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा तु नर्मदा
narma caibhyo dade yasmāttatkṛtaiśceṣṭitaiḥ pṛthak | bhaviṣyasi varārohe saricchreṣṭhā tu narmadā
اپنی جداگانہ اور کھیلتی ہوئی حرکات سے اس نے اِن گنوں اور دیوتاؤں کو سرور بخشا؛ اے خوشکمر! تو ندیوں میں سب سے برتر ہوگی—اسی لیے تیرا نام نَرمدا ہے۔
Śiva (Pinākadhṛk), as the namer within the narrative
Tirtha: Narmadā
Type: kshetra
Scene: A radiant river-goddess is blessed as ‘best of rivers’ while celestial attendants (gaṇas/devas) smile at her playful acts; the river’s name is proclaimed as Narmadā.
FAQs
Sacred rivers are not mere geography; they are divine persons whose very ‘name’ encodes grace—Narmadā as the giver of spiritual joy.
The Narmadā/Revā river-tīrtha is explicitly exalted as ‘best among rivers’ (saritśreṣṭhā).
None directly; the verse provides the name-derivation that supports later practices like snāna and tīrtha-yātrā on Narmadā.