Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 23
भवकोटिसहस्रेषु भूत्वाभूत्वावसीदति । यो ददात्यपुनर्वृत्तिं कोऽन्यस्तस्मात्परो गुरुः
bhavakoṭisahasreṣu bhūtvābhūtvāvasīdati | yo dadātyapunarvṛttiṃ ko'nyastasmātparo guruḥ
After being born and dying again and again through tens of thousands of crores of existences, a being sinks into weariness. He who grants “non-return” (release from rebirth)—who else could be a Guru higher than that one?
Narratorial Purāṇic voice (context not explicit in the snippet)
Scene: A weary jīva wandering through countless births, then approaching a serene Guru who points toward liberation (apunarāvṛtti), with a subtle wheel of saṃsāra fading behind.
FAQs
The supreme Guru is the one who leads the soul beyond saṃsāra—granting ‘non-return’ and freedom from repeated birth and death.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse focuses on mokṣa and Guru-tattva within the discipline of Purāṇa-kathā.
No direct ritual is prescribed; the teaching is doctrinal—praising the liberating role of the Guru.