Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

सोमनाथं तु विख्यातं यत्सोमेन प्रतिष्ठितम् । तत्र सोमग्रहे पुण्यं तत्पुण्यं लभते नरः

Transliteration

somanāthaṃ tu vikhyātaṃ yatsomena pratiṣṭhitam | tatra somagrahe puṇyaṃ tatpuṇyaṃ labhate naraḥ

Translation

സോമനാഥൻ പ്രസിദ്ധൻ; സോമൻ (ചന്ദ്രൻ) അവിടെ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ചതാകുന്നു. ആ സ്ഥലത്ത് സോമഗ്രഹ പുണ്യാചരണം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ അതിന്റെ പുണ്യം തന്നെ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• सोमनाथम्: Somanātha
• सोमनाथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम-नाथ (प्रातिपदिक; सोम + नाथ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘सोमस्य नाथः’)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-अव्यय (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• विख्यातम्: well-known
• विख्यातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-ख्या (धातु) → विख्यात (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘सोमनाथम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• सोमेन: by Soma
• सोमेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रतिष्ठितम्: established
• प्रतिष्ठितम्: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रति-स्था (धातु) → प्रतिष्ठित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘यत्’ इत्यस्य विधेय-विशेषणम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘there’)

• सोमग्रहे: at Somagraha
• सोमग्रहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम-ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक; सोम + ग्रह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘सोमस्य ग्रहः’ = सोमतीर्थ/स्थान)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मरूपेण

• तत्पुण्यम्: that very merit
• तत्पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्-पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक; तत् + पुण्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘तत् एव पुण्यम्’)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/ Ugraśravas) (deduced: Āvantya Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somnātha (Prabhāsa Kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpaśreṣṭha (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Somnātha temple by the sea with a radiant Śiva-liṅga; Soma (Moon-god) performs pratiṣṭhā and worship, pouring cool white libations; night sky glows with lunar sheen over waves.

Characters & Entities

• Somnātha
• Soma (Candra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit increases when a sacred observance is performed at its divinely connected site; place and rite together intensify puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Somnātha, the Śiva-site said to be established by Soma (the Moon).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Somagraha—an observance/auspicious occasion connected with Soma, performed at Somnātha for attaining its full merit.