Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सोमनाथप्रतिष्ठार्थमृक्षराजनिमंत्रितः । प्रतिज्ञातं पुरा तेन ब्रह्मणा लोककारिणा

Transliteration

somanāthapratiṣṭhārthamṛkṣarājanimaṃtritaḥ | pratijñātaṃ purā tena brahmaṇā lokakāriṇā

Translation

സോമനാഥപ്രതിഷ്ഠയ്ക്കായി നക്ഷത്രരാജൻ ക്ഷണിച്ചപ്പോൾ, ലോകഹിതകാരിയായ ആ ബ്രഹ്മാവ് പുരാതനകാലത്ത് ഒരു പ്രതിജ്ഞ ചെയ്തിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• सोमनाथप्रतिष्ठार्थम्: for the purpose of establishing Somanātha
• सोमनाथप्रतिष्ठार्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमनाथ (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रतिष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—(सोमनाथस्य प्रतिष्ठायाः अर्थम्) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• ऋक्षराजनिमंत्रितः: invited by the king of bears (Jāmbavān)
• ऋक्षराजनिमंत्रितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निमन्त्रि (धातु) → निमंत्रित (कृदन्त) + ऋक्षराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); समासः—ऋक्षराजेन निमंत्रितः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः)

• प्रतिज्ञातम्: was promised
• प्रतिज्ञातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + ज्ञा (धातु) → प्रतिज्ञात (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) — ‘promised/pledged’ (used predicatively)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ब्रह्मणा: by Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन

• लोककारिणा: by the benefactor of the worlds
• लोककारिणा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; समासः—लोकस्य कारिणा (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somnātha (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Soma, radiant and moon-crowned, respectfully invites four-faced Brahmā to officiate/authorize the establishment of Somnātha; behind them rises a liṅga shrine under construction, with devas witnessing and ritual vessels arranged.

Characters & Entities

• Somanātha
• Soma (Ṛkṣarāja)
• Brahmā
• Pratiṣṭhā (consecration)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred institutions are portrayed as grounded in vows and cosmic responsibility—divine pledges support the stability of dharma in a place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Somanātha at Prabhāsa Kṣetra, linked with its consecration narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references pratiṣṭhā (establishment/consecration) of Somanātha, but does not detail the ritual steps in this verse.