Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

अथाऽसौ महिषादेशाद्दूतो गत्वार्बुदाचलम् । दृष्ट्वा तां पद्मगर्भाभां ज्ञात्वा सर्व विचेष्टितम्

Transliteration

athā'sau mahiṣādeśāddūto gatvārbudācalam | dṛṣṭvā tāṃ padmagarbhābhāṃ jñātvā sarva viceṣṭitam

Translation

അപ്പോൾ മഹിഷന്റെ ആജ്ഞപ്രകാരം ദൂതൻ അർബുദാചലത്തിലേക്കു പോയി. പദ്മഗർഭംപോലെ ദീപ്തിയുള്ള അവളെ കണ്ടും, അവളുടെ എല്ലാ പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങളും അറിഞ്ഞും,

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• असौ: that (person)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• महिषादेशात्: from Mahisha's command
• महिषादेशात्: Apadana (Source/अपा‍दान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिष-आदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (महिषस्य आदेशः)

• दूतः: messenger
• दूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• अर्बुदाचलम्: Mount Arbuda
• अर्बुदाचलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद-अचल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अर्बुदः अचलः)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पद्मगर्भाभाम्: having the radiance like the heart of a lotus
• पद्मगर्भाभाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पद्म-गर्भ-आभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पद्मस्य गर्भ इव आभा यस्याः/यस्या)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + क्त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (विचेष्टितम्)

• विचेष्टितम्: conduct/what was done
• विचेष्टितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि-चेष्ट् (धातु) + त (क्त, कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle used substantively), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbudācala

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the addressed king in the broader narration

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone messenger climbs Arbudācala’s slopes; in a forest-clearing he beholds a maiden glowing like the heart of a lotus, absorbed in austerity; he watches and learns her disciplined routine.

Characters & Entities

• Mahīṣāsura (Mahīṣa)
• Dūta (messenger)
• Arbudācala (Mount Arbuda)
• The maiden (padmagarbhābhā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred setting (Arbudācala) frames a story where purity and radiance accompany tapas, even when observed by hostile forces.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbudācala (Mount Arbuda) is explicitly named and functions as the holy landscape of the episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates travel to the sacred mountain and observation of the maiden’s conduct.