Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

सोमे सोमग्रहे चैव सोमनाथस्य दर्शनात् । समुद्रे च सरस्वत्यां स्नात्वा न नरकं व्रजेत्

Transliteration

some somagrahe caiva somanāthasya darśanāt | samudre ca sarasvatyāṃ snātvā na narakaṃ vrajet

Translation

Au temps de la Lune, et aussi lors d’une éclipse lunaire, par la vision (darśana) de Somanātha, et en se baignant dans l’océan et dans la Sarasvatī, on ne va pas en enfer.

Word by Word

• सोमे: when (the moon is) in Soma
• सोमे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• सोमग्रहे: in the lunar eclipse / moon-seizure
• सोमग्रहे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम-ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक; सोम + ग्रह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सोमस्य ग्रहः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय

• सोमनाथस्य: of Somanātha
• सोमनाथस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम-नाथ (प्रातिपदिक; सोम + नाथ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सोमस्य नाथः)

• दर्शनात्: from/through seeing (the दर्शन)
• दर्शनात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; कारणार्थे

• समुद्रे: in the ocean
• समुद्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• सरस्वत्याम्: in the Sarasvatī (river)
• सरस्वत्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); ‘having bathed’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation to verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• व्रजेत्: should go
• व्रजेत्: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Bhīṣma (to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somnātha (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Moonlit coastal temple of Somnātha with the liṅga sanctum; pilgrims bathe in the sea and in the Sarasvatī tīrtha, while an eclipse-shadow crosses the Moon; lamps and conches accompany darśana.

Characters & Entities

• Soma (Moon)
• Somagrāha (lunar eclipse)
• Somanātha
• Samudra (ocean)
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of a great deity and purifying baths at famed waters are presented as strong protections against karmic downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Somanātha (Somnath) is explicitly praised, along with the ocean and the Sarasvatī as sanctifying waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana of Somanātha, especially on lunar/eclipse occasions, and snāna (ritual bathing) in the ocean and Sarasvatī.