Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

सा च देवी नदी पुण्या रुद्रस्य परिचारिका । पावनी सर्वभूतानां प्रोवाह सलिलं तदा

Transliteration

sā ca devī nadī puṇyā rudrasya paricārikā | pāvanī sarvabhūtānāṃ provāha salilaṃ tadā

Translation

اور وہ مقدّس دیوی ندی، رودر کی خدمت گار، سب جانداروں کو پاک کرنے والی، تب اپنے پانی کو بہا دینے لگی۔

Word by Word

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• devī: goddess
• devī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; apposition to sā

• nadī: river
• nadī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; apposition

• puṇyā: holy
• puṇyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (nadī/devī)

• rudrasya: of Rudra
• rudrasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• paricārikā: attendant; handmaid
• paricārikā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paricārikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pāvanī: purifying
• pāvanī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāvanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (nadī)

• sarva-bhūtānām: of all beings
• sarva-bhūtānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘सर्वाणि भूतानि’

• provāha: caused to flow; flowed forth
• provāha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-vah (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• salilam: water
• salilam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: salila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (at that time)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced, within Āvantya-khaṇḍa narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant river-goddess rises from the stream, adorned with Śaiva symbols, while her waters begin to surge and spread, washing away darkness from beings on the banks.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (river-goddess)
• Rudra (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rivers are divine presences that purify life and support dharma through their holy flow.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā herself is being praised as a goddess and purifier—central to the Revā-khaṇḍa’s tirtha geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly supports snāna (ritual bathing) and reverence to the river, though no explicit injunction appears in this verse.