Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

इति सोमो मतिं कृत्वा तपसाऽराधयञ्छिवम् । यावद्वर्षसहस्रं तु फलमूलाशनोऽभवत्

Transliteration

iti somo matiṃ kṛtvā tapasā'rādhayañchivam | yāvadvarṣasahasraṃ tu phalamūlāśano'bhavat

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ സോമൻ ദൃഢനിശ്ചയം ചെയ്ത് തപസ്സിലൂടെ ശിവനെ ആരാധിച്ചു; പൂർണ്ണമായ ആയിരം വർഷം അവൻ ഫലവും മൂലവും മാത്രമേ ആഹാരമായി സ്വീകരിച്ചുള്ളൂ।

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक

• सोमः: Soma (the Moon)
• सोमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्ता

• मतिम्: intention, resolve
• मतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• कृत्वा: having made/determined
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Non-finite action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having done)

• तपसा: by austerity
• तपसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण (means)

• आराधयन्: worshipping, propitiating
• आराधयन्: Karta (Agent qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√राध् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), परस्मैपद; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण

• शिवम्: Śiva
• शिवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• यावत्: for as long as, up to
• यावत्: Sambandha (Temporal marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/अवधि-निर्देशक), ‘as long as/for the duration of’

• वर्षसहस्रम्: a thousand years
• वर्षसहस्रम्: Adhikarana (Temporal extent/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष-सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: वर्ष + सहस्र
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (extent of time)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• फलमूलाशनः: one who eats fruits and roots
• फलमूलाशनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: फल-मूल-आशन (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: फल + मूल + आशन
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (of सोमः)

• अभवत्: became, was
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A addressed interlocutor (vocative 'varavarṇinī' indicates a female listener within the frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Soma (Candra) in ascetic posture within the Prabhāsa sacred landscape, living on fruits and roots, performing severe worship of Śiva over vast time; sparse hermitage, sacred trees, and a distant liṅga-shrine atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Soma (Chandra)
• Śiva
• Tapas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady resolve and sustained austerity, aligned to devotion, are presented as a legitimate dharmic means to obtain Śiva’s grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, as the setting where Soma undertakes transformative tapas directed to Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A tapas-based observance: prolonged worship with a phalamūla (fruits and roots) diet as a form of vrata-like restraint.