Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

स्वयोनिः पितृदेवेभ्यो विभजञ्छुक्लकृष्णयोः । अधः प्रजानां सर्वासां राजा नः सोमोस्तु

Transliteration

svayoniḥ pitṛdevebhyo vibhajañchuklakṛṣṇayoḥ | adhaḥ prajānāṃ sarvāsāṃ rājā naḥ somostu

Translation

സ്വയംഭൂ സോമൻ പിതൃദേവന്മാർക്കായി ശുക്ല-കൃഷ്ണ പക്ഷങ്ങളെ വിഭജിക്കുന്നു; അധോസ്ഥിതമായ സർവ്വ പ്രജകൾക്കും ഞങ്ങളുടെ രാജാവ് സോമൻ ആകട്ടെ.

Word by Word

• svayoniḥ: self-born (one)
• svayoniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय ('self-born/one whose origin is self')

• pitṛdevebhyaḥ: from the Fathers and the gods
• pitṛdevebhyaḥ: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व (pitaraḥ ca devāḥ)

• vibhajan: distributing; apportioning
• vibhajan: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi√bhaj (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present active participle/शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण of somaḥ (understood)

• śukla-kṛṣṇayoḥ: of/in the bright and dark (fortnights)
• śukla-kṛṣṇayoḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śukla (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी-द्विवचन (Genitive/Locative dual); द्वन्द्व; here in relation to vibhajan ('of/in the bright and dark (fortnights)')

• adhaḥ: below
• adhaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/अधोवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'below')

• prajānām: of creatures; of subjects
• prajānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• sarvāsām: of all
• sarvāsām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; विशेषण of prajānām

• rājā: king
• rājā: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• naḥ: our; for us
• naḥ: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (Genitive/Dative), बहुवचन; enclitic pronoun

• somaḥ: Soma
• somaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• astu: let (him) be
• astu: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Soma as radiant lunar king above, holding a nectar vessel; below, two ritual assemblies: Devas receiving offerings in bright fortnight imagery and Pitṛs receiving tarpaṇa in dark fortnight imagery; the moon’s phases arc across the sky like a calendar.

Characters & Entities

• Soma
• Pitṛs
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time itself (pakṣas/fortnights) is sacredly governed; honoring Soma aligns one with dharma for Gods, ancestors, and living beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is specified; the focus is on Soma’s cosmic function rather than a named pilgrimage site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A benedictive invocation—"may Soma be our king"—functions as a devotional prayer, suitable for recitation in lunar observances.