Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

सोमतीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा पूजयेद्देवमीश्वरम् । जायते स नरो भूत्वा सोमवित्प्रियदर्शनः

Transliteration

somatīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayeddevamīśvaram | jāyate sa naro bhūtvā somavitpriyadarśanaḥ

Translation

சோமதீர்த்தத்தில் நீராடி ஈஸ்வர தேவனை வழிபடுகிறவன், மறுபிறவியில் சோமத் தத்துவம்/சோம விதியை அறிந்தவனாகவும், இனிய தோற்றமுடைய மனிதனாகவும் பிறக்கிறான்।

Word by Word

• सोमतीर्थे: at the Soma-tīrtha
• सोमतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमतीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) = सोम + तीर्थ
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सोमस्य तीर्थम्)

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/अन्वयार्थे ‘but/indeed’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया; ‘having bathed’

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ईश्वरम्: the Lord
• ईश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवम् इति कर्मपदस्य विशेषणरूपेण

• जायते: is born/comes to be
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सः इति सर्वनामस्य विशेष्य

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया; ‘having become’

• सोमवित्: knower of Soma
• सोमवित्: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमवित् (प्रातिपदिक) = सोम + विद् (ज्ञाने)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारयार्थः ‘सोमं वेत्ति’

• प्रियदर्शनः: pleasant to behold
• प्रियदर्शनः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रियदर्शन (प्रातिपदिक) = प्रिय + दर्शन
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘प्रियं दर्शनं यस्य/प्रियं दर्शनम्’ (here as epithet)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somatīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nareśvara) addressed as ‘rājan’ in the surrounding verses

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a calm river-tīrtha labeled Somatīrtha, performing snāna at dawn; then offering bilva, water, and lamps to a liṅga shrine of Īśvara; a soft lunar aura suggests Soma’s presence; the devotee is shown with a serene, radiant countenance foreshadowing the promised rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• Soma-tīrtha
• Īśvara
• Soma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snān and Īśvara-pūjā refine one’s future birth and inner spiritual competence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Soma-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (snāna) at Soma-tīrtha followed by worship (pūjā) of Īśvara.