Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । तीर्थयात्राप्रसंगेन भ्रममाणा महीतलम् । अर्बुदं पर्वतं नाम तस्य तीर्थेषु वै गताः

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | tīrthayātrāprasaṃgena bhramamāṇā mahītalam | arbudaṃ parvataṃ nāma tasya tīrtheṣu vai gatāḥ

Translation

ഋഷിമാർ പറഞ്ഞു—തീർത്ഥയാത്രയുടെ അവസരത്തിൽ ഭൂമിയിലുടനീളം സഞ്ചരിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ‘അർബുദ’ എന്ന പർവ്വതത്തിലേക്ക് വന്നു, അതിലെ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിൽ ഞങ്ങൾ പോയി.

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: the sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• तीर्थयात्राप्रसङ्गेन: by/through the occasion of pilgrimage
• तीर्थयात्राप्रसङ्गेन: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रसङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तीर्थयात्रायाः प्रसङ्गः)

• भ्रममाणाः: wandering
• भ्रममाणाः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• महीतलम्: the surface of the earth
• महीतलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (महेः तलम्)

• अर्बुदम्: Arbuda
• अर्बुदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पर्वतम्: mountain
• पर्वतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘अर्बुदम्’ इत्यस्य विशेष्य (apposition)

• नाम: named/called
• नाम: Sambandha (naming particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: संज्ञासूचक-अव्यय (indeclinable indicating name: ‘called’)

• तस्य: of it/of that (mountain)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तीर्थेषु: in the sacred places
• तीर्थेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• गताः: have gone
• गताः: Karta (Predicate with ‘ऋषयः’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘gone’ (with implied ‘अस्मः/अभवाम’)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Saptarṣis)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-parvata tīrthas

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka-group (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The saptaṛṣi, travel-worn yet radiant, approach Arbuda mountain; in the distance are springs, small shrines, and forest paths indicating many tīrthas.

Characters & Entities

• Arbuda Parvata (Mount Arbuda)
• tīrthayātrā (pilgrimage)
• tīrtha (sacred ford/sites)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage (tīrthayātrā) is a dharmic discipline that connects seekers to sacred landscapes and divine guidance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda Parvata and its network of tīrthas (sacred sites) are explicitly referenced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrthayātrā (pilgrimage) is indicated as the practice, though no single rite like snāna or dāna is specified in this verse.