Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

न पुष्पे धूपदाने च प्रदक्षिणापरः सदा । केनचित्त्वथ कालेन मुनयोऽत्र समागताः

Transliteration

na puṣpe dhūpadāne ca pradakṣiṇāparaḥ sadā | kenacittvatha kālena munayo'tra samāgatāḥ

Translation

Offering neither flowers nor incense, he was always devoted solely to pradakṣiṇā, the reverent circumambulation. Then, after some time, sages arrived there.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• पुष्पे: in flowers / regarding flowers
• पुष्पे: Adhikaraṇa (Domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• धूपदाने: in incense-offering
• धूपदाने: Adhikaraṇa (Domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘धूपस्य दानम्’ (offering of incense)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• प्रदक्षिणापरः: devoted to circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणापरः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective of implied सः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pradakṣiṇā (प्रातिपदिक) + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘प्रदक्षिणायां परः/निष्ठः’ (devoted to circumambulation)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kālādhi karaṇa (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (always)

• केनचित्: by some (unspecified)
• केनचित्: Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक (by some/with some)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमसूचक (then)

• कालेन: after some time
• कालेन: Karaṇa (Instrumental of time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; काल-करण (after some time/at a time)

• मुनयः: sages
• मुनयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• समागताः: arrived, came together
• समागताः: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकालिक कृदन्त (past passive participle used finitely), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘(they) have come/arrived’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic storyteller within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (liṅga-sthāna referenced as 'tasya liṅgasya')

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king) addressed as 'nṛpa' in the narrative voice

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king in humble attire circles a Śiva-liṅga repeatedly, hands folded, while the shrine is otherwise unadorned; in the distance, a group of sages approaches the sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Sages (Munis)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A single act of devotion, done constantly, is portrayed as spiritually weighty; it also draws the attention of holy sages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains the Acaleśvara shrine in Arbuda.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pradakṣiṇā is highlighted; standard offerings like puṣpa and dhūpa are explicitly not performed by him.