Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

अर्बुदे पर्वते सेनां कल्पयस्व सुदुर्धराम् । हस्त्यश्वकल्पितां भीमां रथपत्तिसमाकुलाम्

Transliteration

arbude parvate senāṃ kalpayasva sudurdharām | hastyaśvakalpitāṃ bhīmāṃ rathapattisamākulām

Translation

അർബുദ പർവതത്തിൽ എനിക്കായി അത്യന്തം ദുര്ധർഷമായ സൈന്യം ഒരുക്കുക—ഭീകരമായത്, ആനകളും കുതിരകളും അണിനിരത്തിയത്, രഥങ്ങളും പദാതികളും നിറഞ്ഞത്.

Word by Word

• arbude: on/at Arbuda
• arbude: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arbuda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• parvate: on the mountain
• parvate: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• senām: an army
• senām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: senā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• kalpayasva: prepare/arrange
• kalpayasva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kḷp (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• sudurdharām: very hard to withstand
• sudurdharām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su- (उपसर्ग/उपपद) + durdharā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘senām’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• hasti-aśva-kalpitām: equipped with elephants and horses
• hasti-aśva-kalpitām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hasti (प्रातिपदिक) + aśva (प्रातिपदिक) + kalpita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kḷp (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; समासः—तत्पुरुष ‘हस्त्यश्वैः कल्पिता’

• bhīmām: terrible, formidable
• bhīmām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhīma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘senām’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ratha-patti-samākulām: crowded with chariots and infantry
• ratha-patti-samākulām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + patti (प्रातिपदिक) + samākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष ‘रथैः पत्तिभिः च समाकुला’ (समूह-व्याप्ति)

Speaker

Mahiṣa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-parvata

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the slopes and plateaus of Arbuda, a vast caturaṅga army assembles—elephants armored, horses bridled, chariots lined, infantry dense—under asuric banners.

Characters & Entities

• Mahiṣa
• Arbuda-parvata
• Senāpati

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Power amassed through violence and pride is ultimately unstable; dharma is not conquered by mere military might.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda-parvata is explicitly named, anchoring the episode in the sacred landscape celebrated by the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse concerns mobilization and the setting of the conflict at Arbuda.