Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सोमनाथद्वयं पश्येज्जन्मपापात्प्रमुच्यते । ब्रह्मात्र स्थापयित्वा तु हाटकेश्वर संज्ञितम्

Transliteration

somanāthadvayaṃ paśyejjanmapāpātpramucyate | brahmātra sthāpayitvā tu hāṭakeśvara saṃjñitam

Translation

凡得瞻礼双苏摩那他（Somanātha）者，便能解脱自出生以来所积之罪。于此处，梵天（Brahmā）安立一尊灵伽，名为哈塔凯湿伐罗（Hāṭakeśvara）。

Word by Word

• somanātha-dvayam: the pair of Somanāthas
• somanātha-dvayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: somanātha (प्रातिपदिक) + dvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (dvayaṃ somanātham) कर्म (object)

• paśyet: should see
• paśyet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• janma-pāpāt: from the sin of birth (i.e., innate sin)
• janma-pāpāt: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (janmanaḥ pāpāt) अपादान

• pramucyate: is freed
• pramucyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (is released)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• sthāpayitvā: having स्थापित/installed
• sthāpayitvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रयोजक (causative) धातु से क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त: ‘having installed/established’

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयबोधक अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• hāṭaka-īśvara: Hāṭakeśvara (Lord of gold)
• hāṭaka-īśvara: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāṭaka (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासिक प्रातिपदिक (hāṭakasya īśvaraḥ)

• saṃjñitam: named/called
• saṃjñitam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √jñā (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘named/called’; (liṅgaṃ) इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (understood)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somanātha-dvaya; Hāṭakeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava (context continues)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two adjacent Śiva shrines or twin liṅgas (Somanātha-dvaya) with pilgrims moving from one to the other; Brahmā depicted installing a golden-hued liṅga named Hāṭakeśvara; lamps, bilva leaves, and a sanctified courtyard.

Characters & Entities

• Somanātha (two shrines)
• Brahmā
• Hāṭakeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva-darśana at renowned tīrthas functions as purificatory grace, dissolving deep-seated karmic impurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Somanātha region at Prabhāsa, including the twin Somanāthas and the Hāṭakeśvara liṅga attributed to Brahmā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (pilgrimage viewing) is the stated practice; installation is mentioned as Brahmā’s act (sthāpana of Hāṭakeśvara).