Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

सुधांशवे च सोमाय ओषधीशाय वै नमः । नमोऽब्जाय मृगांकाय कलानां निधये नमः

Transliteration

sudhāṃśave ca somāya oṣadhīśāya vai namaḥ | namo'bjāya mṛgāṃkāya kalānāṃ nidhaye namaḥ

Translation

അമൃതസദൃശ കിരണങ്ങളുള്ള ചന്ദ്രനു നമസ്കാരം; സോമനു നമസ്കാരം; ഔഷധികളുടെ അധിപതിക്കു നമസ്കാരം. പദ്മസമ ശീതളനായ മൃഗാങ്കധാരിക്ക്, കലകളുടെ നിധിക്കു നമസ്കാരം.

Word by Word

• सुधांशवे: to the nectar-rayed one (Moon)
• सुधांशवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुधांशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—सुधा+अंशु (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सोमाय: to Soma
• सोमाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• ओषधीशाय: to the lord of herbs
• ओषधीशाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधीश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—ओषधि+ईश (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/पादपूरण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः (salutation-formula)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘नमोऽ…’ इति सन्ध्यन्तरितम्

• अब्जाय: to the water-born one
• अब्जाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अब्ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—अप्+ज (उपपद-तत्पुरुषः)

• मृगांकाय: to the deer-marked one (Moon)
• मृगांकाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृगाङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—मृगः अङ्कः यस्य (कर्मधारयः/रूढिः)

• कलानाम्: of the digits/phases
• कलानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• निधये: to the treasure/store
• निधये: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced; Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Moon depicted with a cool halo, dripping nectar-like rays onto a field of herbs; a devotee offers milk and white lotus, reciting a garland of names.

Characters & Entities

• Soma
• Candra
• Oṣadhī (herbs)
• Kalā (lunar digits)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Revering Candra as Soma—the life-sustaining, healing principle—cultivates gratitude for cosmic order and inner coolness (śānti).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā is the framing sacred geography (māhātmya context), within which this lunar praise is prescribed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

This verse functions as a stotra-mantra segment for Candrapūjā (Moon worship) using specific epithets.