Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 23
भवकोटिसहस्रेषु भूत्वाभूत्वावसीदति । यो ददात्यपुनर्वृत्तिं कोऽन्यस्तस्मात्परो गुरुः
bhavakoṭisahasreṣu bhūtvābhūtvāvasīdati | yo dadātyapunarvṛttiṃ ko'nyastasmātparo guruḥ
ಕೋಟಿ-ಸಹಸ್ರ ಭವಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಪುನಃಪುನಃ ಜನ್ಮಮರಣಗಳನ್ನು ಅನುಭವಿಸಿ ಜೀವನು ಕ್ಲಾಂತಿಯಾಗಿ ಕುಗ್ಗುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಯಾರು ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮಕ್ಕೆ ಮರಳದಂತೆ ಮೋಕ್ಷವನ್ನು ದಯಪಾಲಿಸುತ್ತಾರೋ—ಅವರಿಗಿಂತ ಉನ್ನತ ಗುರು ಇನ್ನಾರು?
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.