Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

संसारी न पुनर्भूयान्महेश्वरवचो यथा । अर्बुदो यदि लभ्येत सेवितुं जन्मदुःखितैः

Transliteration

saṃsārī na punarbhūyānmaheśvaravaco yathā | arbudo yadi labhyeta sevituṃ janmaduḥkhitaiḥ

Translation

മഹേശ്വരവചനപ്രകാരം, ആരും വീണ്ടും സംസാരത്തിൽ അലഞ്ഞുതിരിയുന്നവനാകാതിരിക്കുവാൻ—ജന്മജന്മങ്ങളുടെ ദുഃഖത്തിൽ പീഡിതർ അർബുദത്തെ പ്രാപിച്ച് സേവിച്ച് ആരാധിക്കാനായാൽ!

Word by Word

• saṃsārī: a transmigrating being
• saṃsārī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्ता

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• punar: again
• punar: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्ति-वाचक-अव्यय (adverb: again)

• bhūyāt: may become
• bhūyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘√भू’ = may become

• maheśvara-vacaḥ: the word of Maheśvara
• maheśvara-vacaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (महेश्वरस्य वचः)

• yathā: as/according to
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparator/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकार-वाचक-अव्यय (as/according to)

• arbudaḥ: Arbuda (mountain/place)
• arbudaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arbuda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्ता/विषय (if-clause subject)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-वाचक-अव्यय (conditional particle: if)

• labhyeta: were to be obtained
• labhyeta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (be obtained)

• sevitum: to visit/serve
• sevitum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sev (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), ‘√सेव्’ = to serve/visit

• janma-duḥkhitaiḥ: by those afflicted with birth (worldly suffering)
• janma-duḥkhitaiḥ: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक) + duḥkhita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (जन्मना दुःखिताः) = afflicted by birth; करण/कर्ता-सम्बन्धे (agent in passive sense)

Speaker

Śailajā (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A suffering pilgrim (janma-duḥkhita) looks toward Arbuda’s peak where Śiva’s presence is felt; a scroll of ‘Maheśvara-vacana’ radiates above, and a broken wheel symbolizes cessation of saṃsāra.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Arbuda (sacred mountain/place)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Serving a great Śaiva tīrtha with faith is presented as a means to end the cycle of rebirth, in alignment with Śiva’s own word.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda (Mount Arbuda/Arbudāraṇya), praised as a place worthy of ‘seva’ for seekers burdened by saṃsāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sevā—devotional attendance such as pilgrimage, worship, and sustained reverence toward the Arbuda sacred site.