Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

मुक्तोऽर्बुदेन तत्रैव विवरे मुनिवाक्यतः । समस्तस्तत्रानासाग्रं गतः पर्वतसत्तमः

Transliteration

mukto'rbudena tatraiva vivare munivākyataḥ | samastastatrānāsāgraṃ gataḥ parvatasattamaḥ

Translation

Dort selbst, in jener Höhlung, ließ Arbuda ihn gemäß dem Wort des Weisen frei. Da trat der vortreffliche „Berg“ (die Bergschlange) vollständig hervor und gelangte bis zur Öffnung jenes Ganges.

Word by Word

• मुक्तः: released/freed
• मुक्तः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (released)

• अर्बुदेन: by Arbuda
• अर्बुदेन: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक

• विवरे: in the cleft/cave
• विवरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• मुनिवाक्यतः: due to the sage's word/command
• मुनिवाक्यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + वाक्य (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मुनेः वाक्यं) + तसिल्/तः (ablatival)

• समस्तः: gathered/compacted
• समस्तः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक; सम्+√अस् क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (assembled/collected; here: gathered/compact)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक

• आनासाग्रम्: up to the tip of the nose
• आनासाग्रम्: Adhikarana/Desha (Extent/अधिकरण-देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + नासाग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययरूपेण (adverbial) ‘नासाग्रपर्यन्तम्’ अर्थे; द्वितीया-एकवचन-रूपं क्रियाविशेषणत्वेन

• गतः: went/reached
• गतः: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (gone/reached)

• पर्वतसत्तमः: the best of mountains
• पर्वतसत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सत्तमः पर्वतः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-guha (contextual cave)

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a dark cave-mouth on a mountain, a colossal serpent-like ‘mountain-best’ emerges fully, released by Arbuda at the sage’s command; the passage opens as the being reaches the entrance.

Characters & Entities

• Arbuda
• Muni (sage)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld through obedience to a realized sage; the sage’s word becomes the instrument of liberation and order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The cavern/cleft on the Arbuda mountain-region that becomes associated with the nāga’s presence and the later Nāga-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse establishes the tīrtha’s origin-story by highlighting the sage’s authoritative instruction.