Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । आश्चर्यं कथ्यतां ब्रह्मन्यद्वृत्तं नर्मदातटे । वाराणस्या समं कस्मादेतत्कथय मे प्रभो

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | āścaryaṃ kathyatāṃ brahmanyadvṛttaṃ narmadātaṭe | vārāṇasyā samaṃ kasmādetatkathaya me prabho

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira thưa: Bạch vị Bà-la-môn, xin kể rõ điều kỳ diệu ấy—trên bờ sông Narmadā đã xảy ra chuyện gì? Vì sao nơi ấy lại ngang bằng Vārāṇasī? Bạch đấng tôn quý, xin nói cho con biết.

Word by Word

• yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• āścaryam: a wonder
• āścaryam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āścarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; अत्र कर्मरूपेण (object)

• kathyatām: let it be told / please tell
• kathyatām: Kriya (Request/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• brahman: O Brahmin (sage)
• brahman: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• yat: which/what
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सूचक (relative pronoun)

• vṛttam: happened event
• vṛttam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛtta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘घटितम्/वृत्तान्तः’

• narmadā-taṭe: on the bank of the Narmadā
• narmadā-taṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक) + taṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (on the bank of Narmadā)

• vārāṇasyāḥ: of Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasyāḥ: Sambandha (Comparison base/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• samam: equal
• samam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (etad)

• kasmāt: from what cause/why
• kasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• etat: this
• etat: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kathaya: tell
• kathaya: Kriya (Request/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• me: to me
• me: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन रूप (Genitive/Dative singular enclitic); अत्र चतुर्थी (to me)

• prabho: O lord
• prabho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā-taṭa tīrtha (contextual; specific ford referenced in 85.1)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, seated respectfully, questions sage Mārkaṇḍeya about the marvel on Narmadā’s bank and the reason for Kāśī-equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Narmadā
• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is understood through humble inquiry into the Purāṇic reasons behind a tīrtha’s greatness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā river-bank tīrtha being compared to Vārāṇasī (Kāśī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; this verse frames a question to elicit the tīrtha’s māhātmya.