Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

इति संक्षेपतः प्रोक्तमर्कस्थलमहोदयम् । राक्षसानां च संपातादभूच्च विवरं यथा

Transliteration

iti saṃkṣepataḥ proktamarkasthalamahodayam | rākṣasānāṃ ca saṃpātādabhūcca vivaraṃ yathā

Translation

Ainsi, en bref, a été dite la grande gloire d’Arkasthala ; et comment, sous l’assaut des Rākṣasas, une fissure—une ouverture—vint à se former.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākya-upasaṃhāra (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative/closure particle)

• saṃkṣepataḥ: briefly
• saṃkṣepataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saṃkṣepa (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• proktam: has been told
• proktam: Kriyā (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-vac (धातु; प्र+वच्) → prokta (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• arka-sthala-mahodayam: the great glory of Arka-sthala
• arka-sthala-mahodayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arka (प्रातिपदिक) + sthala (प्रातिपदिक) + mahā + udaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (अर्कस्य स्थलम्; तस्य महोदयम्)

• rākṣasānām: of the demons
• rākṣasānām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordinator/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• saṃpātāt: from the fall/attack
• saṃpātāt: Apādāna (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃpāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन

• abhūt: there arose/was
• abhūt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु; भू)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: also
• ca: Nipāta (Connective/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• vivaram: a cleft/cavity
• vivaram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vivara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• yathā: as/just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (comparative/illustrative particle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Prabhāsa Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arkasthala-vivara (fissure/opening)

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic split in the earth/rock at Arkasthala as rākṣasas surge forward; divine radiance restrains them; sages/pilgrims witness the newly formed opening, marking it as sacred.

Characters & Entities

• Arkasthala
• Rākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred landscapes carry remembered histories; even disturbances become woven into a dharmic map that teaches remembrance and reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arkasthala within Prabhāsa Kṣetra, especially its famed ‘vivara’ (opening/fissure).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it transitions from praise to the site’s origin-story.