Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

अर्बुदाख्यो नगो नाम विख्यातो यो धरातले । तस्य यात्राक्रमं ब्रूहि तत्फलं द्विजसत्तम

Transliteration

arbudākhyo nago nāma vikhyāto yo dharātale | tasya yātrākramaṃ brūhi tatphalaṃ dvijasattama

Translation

“Ada sebuah gunung bernama Arbuda yang termasyhur di bumi. Wahai yang terbaik di antara kaum dvija, jelaskan kepadaku tata cara ziarah ke sana serta pahala kebajikannya.”

Word by Word

• arbudākhyaḥ: named Arbuda
• arbudākhyaḥ: Karta-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: arbuda (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (अर्बुद इति आख्या यस्य/अर्बुद-आख्यः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (नगः)

• nagaḥ: mountain
• nagaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Nāmadhāraṇa (Naming particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (नामनिर्देशक particle: ‘by name’)

• vikhyātaḥ: renowned
• vikhyātaḥ: Karta-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: khyā (धातु) → vi-khyāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• yaḥ: which/who
• yaḥ: Karta (Relative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• dharā-tale: on the earth's surface
• dharā-tale: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharā (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (धरायाः तलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• tasya: of it/of that (mountain)
• tasya: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• yātrā-kramam: the procedure of pilgrimage
• yātrā-kramam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yātrā (प्रातिपदिक) + krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यात्रायाः क्रमः); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• brūhi: tell
• brūhi: Kriyā (Request)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative); परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• tat-phalam: its fruit/result
• tat-phalam: Karma (Object, coordinated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (तत् एव फलम् / तस्य फलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• dvija-sattama: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-sattama: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्विजानां सत्तमः); पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

Speaker

Yayāti

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-parvata

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (implied) Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis; inner frame: Pulastya questioned by Yayāti

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yayāti, eager and attentive, asks Pulastya to describe Arbuda Mountain’s pilgrimage sequence and the resulting merit.

Characters & Entities

• Arbuda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is not random; tradition values a disciplined yātrā-krama and understanding of its dharmic fruits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda mountain as a pilgrimage-field, soon to be detailed through its key tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse asks for the yātrā-krama (pilgrimage order), implying structured visitation and observances.