Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

येऽर्बुदारण्यनिरता दण्डकारण्यवासिनः । महेन्द्राद्रिरता ये वै ये च विन्ध्यनिवासिनः

Transliteration

ye'rbudāraṇyaniratā daṇḍakāraṇyavāsinaḥ | mahendrādriratā ye vai ye ca vindhyanivāsinaḥ

Translation

Those sages devoted to the Arbuda forest, those dwelling in the Daṇḍaka wilderness, those who delight in Mount Mahendra, and those residing in the Vindhya ranges—(all of them were present).

Word by Word

• ये: who (those)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• अर्बुदारण्यनिरताः: engaged in the Arbuda forest
• अर्बुदारण्यनिरताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्बुद-अरण्य-निरत (प्रातिपदिक; निरत < √ram (धातु) क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participial adjective)

• दण्डकारण्यवासिनः: dwellers in the Daṇḍaka forest
• दण्डकारण्यवासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्डक-अरण्य-वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक; वासिन् < √vas (धातु) णिनि-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; णिनि-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun)

• महेन्द्राद्रिरताः: devoted to (dwelling on) Mount Mahendra
• महेन्द्राद्रिरताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महेन्द्र-अद्रि-रत (प्रातिपदिक; रत < √ram (धातु) क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• ये: who (those)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle/emphasis)

• ये: who (those)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• विन्ध्यनिवासिनः: residents of the Vindhya (region)
• विन्ध्यनिवासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विन्ध्य-निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक; निवासिन् < √vas (धातु) णिनि-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; णिनि-प्रत्ययान्त

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa-line narrator, per context of sages’ assembly narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda; Daṇḍakāraṇya; Mahendra; Vindhya (as sacred regions)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi assembly at Naimiṣāraṇya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like procession of sages arriving from four terrains: rocky Arbuda slopes, dense Daṇḍaka forest, lofty Mahendra peak with clouds, and Vindhya ridges; each group carries kamaṇḍalu and staff, converging toward a central forest assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Arbuda Araṇya (Mount Abu region)
• Daṇḍakāraṇya
• Mahendrādri (Mahendra mountain)
• Vindhya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places and austere landscapes are presented as living supports for dharma, drawing purified sages together for higher discourse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A network of sacred regions is invoked—Arbuda forest, Daṇḍakāraṇya, Mahendrādri, and the Vindhyas—setting the pilgrimage context for Ayodhyā Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; it is a catalog of sage-dwellings in sacred landscapes.