Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

अनेकजन्मसाहस्रैर्भ्रममाणस्तु जन्मभिः । कस्तां प्राप्नोति वै मुक्तिं विना सोमेशपूजनात्

Transliteration

anekajanmasāhasrairbhramamāṇastu janmabhiḥ | kastāṃ prāpnoti vai muktiṃ vinā someśapūjanāt

Translation

無数の生にわたり幾千の生をさまよう者よ——ソーメーシャ（Someśa）への礼拝なくして、いったい誰が解脱に至ろうか。

Word by Word

• aneka-janma-sāhasraiḥ: by thousands of many births
• aneka-janma-sāhasraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक) + janman (प्रातिपदिक) + sāhasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (N), तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (anekāni janmāni = anekajanma; anekajanmānāṃ sāhasrāṇi = anekajanmasāhasra)

• bhramamāṇaḥ: wandering
• bhramamāṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhram (धातु) → bhramamāṇa (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त—शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि

• tu: indeed / but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ (but/indeed)

• janmabhiḥ: by births
• janmabhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• kaḥ: who?
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• tām: that (f.)
• tām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• prāpnoti: attains
• prāpnoti: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु) उपसर्ग-प्र (pra+āp)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• vai: indeed / certainly
• vai: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), निश्चयार्थ (certainly)

• muktim: liberation
• muktim: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vinā: without
• vinā: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय (preposition), वियोगार्थ (without); योगे पञ्चमी (with ablative)

• someśa-pūjanāt: from (i.e., without) the worship of Someśa
• someśa-pūjanāt: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: someśa (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (someśasya pūjanam = someśapūjanam)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Someśvara (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A weary soul traverses a chain of births symbolized by a wheel; in contrast, the Someshvara liṅga shines as the liberating refuge, with devotees offering worship that breaks the cycle.

Characters & Entities

• Someśa/Someśvara
• Mukti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is portrayed as rare across endless rebirths, and devotion to Someśvara is elevated as a decisive means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Someśvara of Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Someśa-pūjā (worship of Someśvara) is explicitly emphasized.