Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

शृणु राजन्यथावृत्तमितिहास पुरातनम् । ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतमर्बुदे पर्वतोत्तमे

Transliteration

śṛṇu rājanyathāvṛttamitihāsa purātanam | ṛṣibhirbahudhā gītamarbude parvatottame

Translation

Écoute, ô roi, le récit ancien tel qu’il advint—chanté de maintes façons par les sages sur Arbuda, le plus éminent des monts.

Word by Word

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• यथा: as, how
• यथा: Sambandha (Manner marker/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/conjunction), प्रकार/उपमानार्थे—‘as, in the manner’

• वृत्तम्: what happened, the account
• वृत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘घटना/चरित’

• इतिहासम्: ancient tale, history
• इतिहासम्: Karma (Object in apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इतिहास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; वृत्तम् इत्यस्य विशेष्य/अप्पोजिशन

• पुरातनम्: ancient
• पुरातनम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (इतिहासम्)

• ऋषिभिः: by sages
• ऋषिभिः: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• बहुधा: many times, in many ways
• बहुधा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहुधा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), प्रकार/बहुत्वार्थे—‘in many ways/many times’

• गीतम्: sung, recited
• गीतम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गै (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र ‘वृत्तम्/इतिहासम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्—‘sung/recited’

• अर्बुदे: in Arbuda (mountain region)
• अर्बुदे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• पर्वतोत्तमे: on the best of mountains
• पर्वतोत्तमे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वतोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक) = पर्वत + उत्तम
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (उत्तमः पर्वतः)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda (Arbudācala)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage addresses the king: ‘Listen to the ancient itihāsa’; behind them rises Arbuda, a majestic mountain with hermitages and sacred groves.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Rājā (listener, unspecified)
• Ṛṣis
• Arbuda (Mount Abu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is preserved through itihāsa: hearing these accounts is itself a dharmic act that orients one toward tīrtha and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda Parvata (Mount Abu) as a sanctified landscape where sages celebrate holy narratives.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) of the purāṇic itihāsa is encouraged.