Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

सोमेश्वरे वरारोहा प्रभासे पुष्करावती । वेदमाता सरस्वत्यां पारा पारातटे मुने

Transliteration

someśvare varārohā prabhāse puṣkarāvatī | vedamātā sarasvatyāṃ pārā pārātaṭe mune

Translation

സോമേശ്വരത്തിൽ അവൾ ‘വരാരോഹാ’, പ്രഭാസത്തിൽ ‘പുഷ്കരാവതീ’; സരസ്വതീതീരത്ത് ‘വേദമാതാ’യും മറുകരയിൽ, ഹേ മുനേ, ‘പാരാ’യുമാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• सोमेश्वरे: at Someśvara (place)
• सोमेश्वरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

• वरारोहा: Varārohā (name)
• वरारोहा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरारोहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम

• प्रभासे: at Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

• पुष्करावती: Puṣkarāvatī (name)
• पुष्करावती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्करावती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम

• वेदमाता: Mother of the Vedas
• वेदमाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + माता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वेदानां माता)

• सरस्वत्याम्: on/in the Sarasvatī (river/place)
• सरस्वत्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नदी/स्थानवाचक

• पारा: Pārā (name)
• पारा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम

• पारातटे: on the bank of Pārā
• पारातटे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारा + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पारायाः तटः)

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Someśvara; Prabhāsa; Sarasvatī-tīra; Pārā-tīra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muni

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four sacred tableaux: Someśvara shrine with Devi Varārohā; Prabhāsa coastal temple-town with Devi Puṣkarāvatī; Sarasvatī river with white-lotus imagery where Devi appears as Veda-mātā holding palm-leaf/śruti; and a ‘far bank’ crossing where Devi Pārā stands as guide at the ford.

Characters & Entities

• Someśvara
• Varārohā
• Prabhāsa
• Puṣkarāvatī
• Sarasvatī
• Veda-mātā
• Pārā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rivers and coastal kṣetras are not mere geography; they are living seats of Devī who sustains dharma and Vedic wisdom.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Someśvara, Prabhāsa (Prabhāsa-tīrtha), and the Sarasvatī river-banks are praised as Devī-abodes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse functions as a devotional directory for tīrtha-smaraṇa (remembering holy places).