Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

सरस्वती समुद्रश्च सोमः सोमग्रहस्तथा । दर्शनं सोमनाथस्य सकाराः पञ्च दुर्ल्लभाः

Transliteration

sarasvatī samudraśca somaḥ somagrahastathā | darśanaṃ somanāthasya sakārāḥ pañca durllabhāḥ

Translation

સરಸ್ವતી, સમુદ્ર, સોમ (ચંદ્ર), સોમગ્રહણ અને સોમનાથનું દર્શન—આ પાંચ ‘સ-કાર’ અતિ દુર્લભ છે।

Word by Word

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• सरस्वती: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• समुद्रः: ocean
• समुद्रः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• सोमः: Soma (Moon)
• सोमः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सोम-ग्रहः: lunar eclipse
• सोम-ग्रहः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक) + graha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सोमस्य ग्रहः)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise/also)

• दर्शनम्: seeing/vision
• दर्शनम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सोम-नाथस्य: of Somanātha
• सोम-नाथस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सोमस्य नाथः)

• स-काराः: the ‘sa’-beginning items / the ‘sa’ sounds
• स-काराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (प्रातिपदिक) + kāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (स इति कारः = ‘sa’-sound/letter)

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (सकाराः)

• दुर्लभाः: rare/difficult to obtain
• दुर्लभाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (सकाराः); उपसर्गपूर्वक (दुर्-)

Speaker

Śiva (as Somnātha), within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra praise context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa ‘Pañca-sa-kāra’ complex (Sarasvatī–Samudra–Soma–Soma-grahaṇa–Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau of five ‘S’ elements: Sarasvatī as a goddess/river stream, the ocean waves, the Moon-god Soma, an eclipsed moon, and Somnātha liṅga—arranged like a pañca-maṇḍala of rarity.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Samudra (Ocean)
• Soma (Moon)
• Somagraha (lunar eclipse)
• Somnātha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rare sacred conditions and sacred places converge at Prabhāsa; recognizing and using such rare opportunities is itself a dharmic act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra—associated with the Sarasvatī’s presence and the sea, and crowned by Somnātha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse highlights rare sacred factors; it implicitly encourages pilgrimage and Somnātha darśana when such conditions (like eclipse) arise.