Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4
ततो देवगणाः सर्वे गत्वाऽर्बुदमथाचलम् । तपस्तेपुर्वधार्थाय शुंभस्य जगतीपते । देवीमाराधयामासुर्व्यक्तरूपां सुरेश्वरीम्
tato devagaṇāḥ sarve gatvā'rbudamathācalam | tapastepurvadhārthāya śuṃbhasya jagatīpate | devīmārādhayāmāsurvyaktarūpāṃ sureśvarīm
Then all the hosts of the gods went to Mount Arbuda. Seeking the destruction of Śumbha, lord of the world, they performed austerities and worshipped the Goddess—the Sovereign of the devas—present in her manifest form.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa framing)
Tirtha: Arbuda
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis (frame assumed)
Scene: Hosts of devas ascend Arbuda’s slopes, gather at a sacred spot, and perform austerities; the Goddess is worshipped as the manifest sovereign of the devas.
FAQs
When dharma is overpowered, the devas themselves seek refuge in Devī through tapas and worship—divine grace arises from sincere austerity and surrender.
Mount Arbuda (Arbuda/Arbudācala, associated with the Arbuda region—later Mount Abu) as a place where powerful Devī-upāsanā bears fruit.
Tapas (austerity) and ārādhana (propitiatory worship) of the manifest Goddess for the restoration of cosmic order.