Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8
ऋषय ऊचुः । किं प्रमाणोऽर्बुदो नाम कस्मिन्देशे व्यवस्थितः । कथं वासिष्ठमाहात्म्यात्प्रथितो धरणीतले
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kiṃ pramāṇo'rbudo nāma kasmindeśe vyavasthitaḥ | kathaṃ vāsiṣṭhamāhātmyātprathito dharaṇītale
The sages said: “What is the measure and extent of the place called Arbuda? In what land is it situated? And how did it become renowned upon the earth through the glory of Vasiṣṭha?”
Ṛṣis
Tirtha: Arbuda
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sūta (questioned) → Ṛṣis (to be instructed)
Scene: A circle of sages respectfully questioning the narrator; behind them a faint outline of a mountain and a compass-like motif indicating ‘measure’ and ‘direction’, signaling the start of a geographic-cum-mythic exposition.
FAQs
True understanding of a tīrtha includes its geography, its spiritual lineage, and the sage-power that established its fame.
Arbuda, whose greatness is linked to Vasiṣṭha.
None; this verse frames questions to elicit the māhātmya narrative.