Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

भूमावर्बुदशैलेन्द्रे संस्थितानि कलेर्भयात् । गंगा सरस्वती चैव यमुना पुष्कराणि च

Transliteration

bhūmāvarbudaśailendre saṃsthitāni kalerbhayāt | gaṃgā sarasvatī caiva yamunā puṣkarāṇi ca

Translation

കലിയെ ഭയന്ന് ഗംഗയും സരസ്വതിയും യമുനയും പുഷ്കരതീർത്ഥങ്ങളും ഭൂമിയിൽ പർവ്വതരാജനായ അർബുദത്തിൽ വന്നു വസിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• भूमौ: on the earth
• भूमौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• अर्बुद-शैलेन्द्रे: on Arbuda, the lord of mountains
• अर्बुद-शैलेन्द्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक) + शैल (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (‘mountain-lord named Arbuda’/‘Arbuda mountain’)

• संस्थितानि: were stationed/settled
• संस्थितानि: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘saṃsthita’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• कलेः: of Kali
• कलेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• भयात्: from fear
• भयात्: Apadana (Cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Co-subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• यमुना: Yamunā
• यमुना: Karta (Co-subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पुष्कराणि: Puṣkaras (sacred lakes/places)
• पुष्कराणि: Karta (Co-subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Pulastya (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-śaila tīrtha-samāhāra (Gaṅgā–Sarasvatī–Yamunā–Puṣkara-sannidhāna)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the lofty Arbuda mountain, personified river-goddesses—Gaṅgā, Sarasvatī, Yamunā—arrive with attendant tīrtha-spirits; the atmosphere suggests a protective retreat from Kali’s shadow.

Characters & Entities

• Arbuda (Mount Abu)
• Gaṅgā
• Sarasvatī
• Yamunā
• Puṣkara
• Kali

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic vision treats tīrthas as living sanctities that can gather where dharma is protected, ensuring access to grace even in Kali Yuga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda (Mount Arbuda/Mount Abu) is glorified as the mountain where major tīrthas and sacred rivers take residence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, pilgrimage (yātrā) and darśana of Arbuda are encouraged, since major tīrthas are said to abide there in Kali Yuga.