Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 73
ददौ प्राचेतसो दक्षो नक्षत्राणीति या विदुः । स तत्प्राप्य मह्द्राज्यं सोमः सोमवतां वरः
dadau prācetaso dakṣo nakṣatrāṇīti yā viduḥ | sa tatprāpya mahdrājyaṃ somaḥ somavatāṃ varaḥ
Dakṣa, der Sohn Pracetās, gab ihm jene, die man als Nakṣatras kennt. Nachdem er diese große Souveränität erlangt hatte, erblühte Soma—der Beste unter den somaartigen Leuchtkräften—in seinem Herrschaftsbereich.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: Dakṣa, dignified and austere, ceremonially bestows the Nakṣatra maidens upon Soma; the Nakṣatras appear as a star-crowned procession; Soma receives them and is shown expanding in regal splendor, symbolizing the lunar calendar’s dominion.
FAQs
Legitimate power is transmitted through dharmic lineage and divine sanction; Soma’s rule is anchored in cosmic relationships (Nakṣatras).
Prabhāsa Kṣetra, whose māhātmya narrates Soma’s exaltation as part of the site’s sacred grandeur.
None; the verse is mythic-historical, explaining Soma’s acquisition of the Nakṣatras.