Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

अथासौ तैः परित्यक्तो गत्वार्बुदमथाचलम् । एकं सरः समासाद्य तपस्तेपे सुदारुणम्

Transliteration

athāsau taiḥ parityakto gatvārbudamathācalam | ekaṃ saraḥ samāsādya tapastepe sudāruṇam

Translation

അപ്പോൾ അവരാൽ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കപ്പെട്ട അവൻ അർബുദപർവ്വതത്തിലേക്ക് പോയി; അവിടെ ഒരു സരോവരം പ്രാപിച്ച് അത്യന്തം കഠിനമായ തപസ്സു ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: सम्बन्ध/क्रम (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—अनन्तर/आरम्भसूचक (sequence particle)

• असौ: he
• असौ: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तैः: by them
• तैः: कर्ता (Agent—in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• परित्यक्तः: abandoned
• परित्यक्तः: क्रिया (Participial predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: पूर्वक्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय

• अर्बुदम्: Arbuda (mountain/region)
• अर्बुदम्: कर्म (Goal/object of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: सम्बन्ध/क्रम (Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—अनन्तर (sequence particle)

• अचलम्: the mountain
• अचलम्: कर्म (Apposition/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अचल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifies सरः)

• सरः: a lake
• सरः: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समासाद्य: having reached/approached
• समासाद्य: पूर्वक्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (gerund), अव्यय; ‘समासाद्य’ = having approached/reached

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (कर्मरूपेण)

• तेपे: performed (austerities)
• तेपे: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• सुदारुणम्: very severe
• सुदारुणम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifies तपः)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-saras (unnamed lake on Arbuda)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Paṅgu, now a solitary pilgrim, reaches a still mountain lake ringed by rocks and trees; he begins harsh austerities—standing, fasting, and meditating—under a vast sky.

Characters & Entities

• Arbuda (Mount Abu)
• Saraḥ (lake)
• Paṅgu (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When worldly support fails, turning to a sacred landscape and disciplined tapas becomes a direct route to inner strength and divine recognition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda Mountain’s sacred lake-region, forming the setting for Paṅgu’s tapas and the later fame of Paṅgu Tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) undertaken at a sacred lake on Arbuda Mountain.