Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 23
भवकोटिसहस्रेषु भूत्वाभूत्वावसीदति । यो ददात्यपुनर्वृत्तिं कोऽन्यस्तस्मात्परो गुरुः
bhavakoṭisahasreṣu bhūtvābhūtvāvasīdati | yo dadātyapunarvṛttiṃ ko'nyastasmātparo guruḥ
Après être né et mort sans cesse au long de dizaines de milliers de crores d’existences, l’être s’abîme dans la lassitude. Celui qui accorde le « non-retour » (délivrance de la renaissance), quel autre Guru serait plus élevé que Lui ?
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.