Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

अर्चितः परया भक्त्या सोमनाथो महीभृता । त्रिःप्रदक्षिणतः कृत्वा ज्वलन्तं जातवेदसम्

Transliteration

arcitaḥ parayā bhaktyā somanātho mahībhṛtā | triḥpradakṣiṇataḥ kṛtvā jvalantaṃ jātavedasam

Translation

Der König verehrte Somanātha mit höchster Hingabe. Dann umschritt er in Ehrfurcht dreimal das lodernde Feuer und fuhr mit seinem Gelübde fort.

Word by Word

• अर्चितः: was worshipped
• अर्चितः: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया-फल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘पूजितः’

• परया: with supreme
• परया: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (भक्त्या)

• भक्त्या: devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• सोमनाथः: Somnātha (Śiva)
• सोमनाथः: Karta (Grammatical subject of passive/result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमनाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महीभृता: by the king (earth-bearer)
• महीभृता: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही-भृत् (प्रातिपदिक; मही + भृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (महीं बिभर्ति इति)

• त्रिः: three times
• त्रिः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्रिः (अव्यय)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thrice)

• प्रदक्षिणतः: clockwise, keeping to the right
• प्रदक्षिणतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-दक्षिण (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: clockwise/keeping right); ‘-तः’ तद्धितान्त

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive)

• ज्वलन्तम्: blazing
• ज्वलन्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्वल् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (जातवेदसम्)

• जातवेदसम्: Jātavedas (Agni, fire)
• जातवेदसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जात-वेदस् (प्रातिपदिक; जात + वेदस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (जातः वेदाः यस्मिन्/जातवेदाः = अग्निः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual narration within the Revākhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somanātha (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After bathing, the king worships the Somanātha liṅga with offerings; nearby a blazing sacred fire burns; the king circumambulates the fire three times, hands folded, flames illuminating the shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Somanātha
• Agni (Jātavedas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion (bhakti) joined with disciplined ritual acts (like pradakṣiṇā) is presented as a complete, sanctifying path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Somanātha, whose worship is narrated as exceptionally meritorious within this Revākhaṇḍa episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship of Somanātha and threefold pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) of the blazing sacrificial fire (Agni/Jātavedas).