Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

मनसा संस्मरेद्यस्तु नर्मदां सततं नृप । चान्द्रायणशतस्याशु लभते फलमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

manasā saṃsmaredyastu narmadāṃ satataṃ nṛpa | cāndrāyaṇaśatasyāśu labhate phalamuttamam

Translation

大王，凡于心中恒常忆念那尔摩达者，迅速得至无上果报，等同于修行百次月行戒（Cāndrāyaṇa）之功德。

Word by Word

• मनसा: with the mind
• मनसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• संस्मरेत्: should remember
• संस्मरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; उपसर्ग: सम्

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (particle: emphasis/contrast)

• नर्मदाम्: Narmada
• नर्मदाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सततम्: always/constantly
• सततम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverbial accusative)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• चान्द्रायणशतस्य: of a hundred Cāndrāyaṇa (vows)
• चान्द्रायणशतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चान्द्रायण + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (चान्द्रायणानां शतम्)

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/शीघ्रार्थक-अव्यय (adverb)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to फलम्)

Speaker

Śiva (as implied by the immediate context ‘parameśvaraḥ’ speaking in this passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated in meditation, eyes closed, with a luminous vision of the Narmadā flowing in the mind’s space; above, a subtle moon motif referencing Cāndrāyaṇa; the river appears as a shining ribbon with ghāṭ lamps.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Cāndrāyaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even mental remembrance (smaraṇa) of a great tīrtha like the Narmadā yields immense merit, showing the power of devotion and sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā (Revā) river, praised throughout the Revā Khaṇḍa as a purifier and bestower of great religious merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The Cāndrāyaṇa vow is referenced as a benchmark of merit; the verse teaches that constant remembrance of Narmadā equals the fruit of a hundred such vows.