Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । अथाह भगवान्विष्णुरंबरीषं जनाधिपम् । ज्ञानयोगं सुविस्तीर्णं संसारक्षयकारणम्

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | athāha bhagavānviṣṇuraṃbarīṣaṃ janādhipam | jñānayogaṃ suvistīrṇaṃ saṃsārakṣayakāraṇam

Translation

Pulastya said: Then the Blessed Lord Viṣṇu addressed King Ambārīṣa, ruler of the people, and expounded at length the Yoga of Knowledge, the cause that wears away the bonds of saṃsāra.

Word by Word

• pulastyaḥ: Pulastya
• pulastyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pulastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; संज्ञा

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्ययम् (then)

• āha: said
• āha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ah (धातु; √ah)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भिन्नपद-समुच्चयः (bhagavān viṣṇuḥ)

• aṃbarīṣam: Ambarīṣa
• aṃbarīṣam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃbarīṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• janādhipam: the ruler of people (king)
• janādhipam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; apposition to aṃbarīṣam

• jñāna-yogam: the yoga of knowledge
• jñāna-yogam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• su-vistīrṇam: very extensive
• su-vistīrṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय-उपपद) + vistīrṇa (कृदन्त; √stṛ with vi)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्त (क्त); विशेषणम् (jñānayogam इति)

• saṃsāra-kṣaya-kāraṇam: the cause of the destruction of saṃsāra
• saṃsāra-kṣaya-kāraṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (jñānayogam इति)

Speaker

Pulastya (narrator)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (implied) the audience/king addressed as 'janādhipa' in narration; within scene, Ambārīṣa is listener to Viṣṇu

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pulastya narrates as Viṣṇu turns to Ambārīṣa and begins an expansive discourse on jñāna-yoga; the atmosphere is contemplative, like a sacred classroom.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Viṣṇu
• Ambārīṣa
• Keśava (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is grounded in jñāna (true knowledge); Viṣṇu teaches a path that erodes saṃsāric bondage at its root.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is set within Arbuda-khaṇḍa (Mount Arbuda/Abu region) of the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa, though this line itself focuses on yoga teaching rather than naming a tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is doctrinal—an exposition of jñānayoga.