Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

अथोत्तंकः फलाहारी अवतीर्य धरातले । सर्वतोऽन्वेषयामास वेगेन महता वृतः

Transliteration

athottaṃkaḥ phalāhārī avatīrya dharātale | sarvato'nveṣayāmāsa vegena mahatā vṛtaḥ

Translation

Then Uttaṅka, having taken fruits as his food, descended to the ground and searched in every direction, driven by great urgency.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — आरम्भ/अनन्तरार्थक

• uttaṃkaḥ: Uttaṅka
• uttaṃkaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttaṃka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• phalāhārī: fruit-eating
• phalāhārī: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: phalāhārin (प्रातिपदिक; phala + āhārin)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — विशेषणम् (one who eats fruits)

• avatīrya: having descended
• avatīrya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava√tṝ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — 'अवतीर्य' = having descended

• dharātale: on the ground
• dharātale: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharātala (प्रातिपदिक; dharā + tala)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — 'धरातले' (on the earth-surface)

• sarvataḥ: on all sides
• sarvataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'everywhere/from all sides'

• anveṣayāmāsa: searched for
• anveṣayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu√iṣ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Periphrastic Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 'अन्वेषयामास' (he searched)

• vegena: with speed
• vegena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vega (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — 'वेगेन' (with speed)

• mahatā: great
• mahatā: Karana (Instrument qualifier/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying 'vegena')

• vṛtaḥ: overcome; seized
• vṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛta (प्रातिपदिक; √vṛ 'to cover/surround', क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'वृतः' (surrounded/overcome)

Speaker

Vasiṣṭha (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Uttaṅka, ascetic and fruit-fed, descends from a higher path to the open ground, scanning all directions with haste, garments and hair stirred by motion, eyes fixed on an unseen quarry.

Characters & Entities

• Uttaṅka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When duty is endangered, one must act swiftly and wholeheartedly; remorse must become disciplined effort.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is praised in this verse; it continues the moral-narrative arc of the Arbuda Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.