Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

प्रायोपवेशनं कृत्वा स्थितस्तत्र समाहितः । अथाजग्मुर्मुनिगणास्तस्य पार्श्वे सहस्रशः

Transliteration

prāyopaveśanaṃ kṛtvā sthitastatra samāhitaḥ | athājagmurmunigaṇāstasya pārśve sahasraśaḥ

Translation

പ്രായോപവേശനവ്രതം സ്വീകരിച്ച് അദ്ദേഹം അവിടെ സമാഹിതനായി, സംയമത്തോടെ നിലകൊണ്ടു. അപ്പോൾ ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് മുനിഗണങ്ങൾ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ സമീപത്തേക്ക് വന്നു.

Word by Word

• prāya-upaveśanam: the act of prāyopaveśa (fasting unto death)
• prāya-upaveśanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāya (प्रातिपदिक) + upaveśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; tatpuruṣa: 'fasting-unto-death sitting' (ritual)

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Kriyā (Subordinate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा), avyaya; pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)

• sthitaḥ: stood/remained
• sthitaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (कृदन्त; √sthā)
• Form: Past active participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Deśavācaka avyaya (देशवाचक अव्यय), adverb

• samāhitaḥ: composed, concentrated
• samāhitaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samāhita (कृदन्त; सम्-आ-√dhā)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; mental state adjective

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Ārambha/anuvādaka-nipāta (आरम्भ/अनुवादक निपात)

• ājagmuḥ: came
• ājagmuḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (लिट्, perfect), Parasmaipada, 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural; with prefix ā-

• muni-gaṇāḥ: groups of sages
• muni-gaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; tatpuruṣa: 'group of sages'

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• pārśve: at the side
• pārśve: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• sahasraśaḥ: by the thousand, in thousands
• sahasraśaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasraśas (अव्यय)
• Form: Prakāra/saṅkhyā-vācaka avyaya (प्रकार/संख्यावाचक अव्यय), distributive adverb

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda Parvata (austerity spot/āśrama node)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpaśreṣṭha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nimi seated in fasting posture on a kusa mat, eyes half-closed, calm; thousands of sages arrive, forming concentric circles on the mountainside, carrying kamandalu and staffs.

Characters & Entities

• Nimi
• muni-gaṇa (sages)
• prāyopaveśana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A disciplined end-of-life vow, undertaken with mental steadiness, is honored, and draws the company and blessing of sages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mount Arbuda as the sanctified place suitable for austerity and sacred assembly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prāyopaveśana is mentioned as a vow undertaken in a state of samādhāna (composure).