Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

विदुराट्टालकं नाम गणगंधर्वसेवितम् । द्वादशस्थानकं स्थानं नाल्पपुण्येन लभ्यते

Transliteration

vidurāṭṭālakaṃ nāma gaṇagaṃdharvasevitam | dvādaśasthānakaṃ sthānaṃ nālpapuṇyena labhyate

Translation

ആ സ്ഥലത്തിന് ‘വിധുരാട്ടാലകം’ എന്ന നാമം; ശിവഗണങ്ങളും ഗന്ധർവരും അവിടെ സേവിക്കുന്നു. അത് ‘ദ്വാദശസ്ഥാനകം’ എന്ന പുണ്യക്ഷേത്രം; അല്പപുണ്യത്തോടെ ലഭ്യമല്ല.

Word by Word

• विदुराट्टालकम्: Vidura’s Āṭṭālaka (place)
• विदुराट्टालकम्: Karma (Object/apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विदुर (प्रातिपदिक) + आट्टालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विदुरस्य आट्टालकः)

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Appositive marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (नाम-शब्दः; naming particle)

• गणगन्धर्वसेवितम्: attended by Gaṇas and Gandharvas
• गणगन्धर्वसेवितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सेवित (सेव् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle) 'served/attended'; द्वन्द्व (गणाः च गन्धर्वाः) + तत्पुरुष (तैः सेवितम्)

• द्वादशस्थानकम्: having twelve stations/places
• द्वादशस्थानकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + स्थानक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (द्वादश स्थानानि यस्य)

• स्थानम्: place
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation particle)

• अल्पपुण्येन: with little merit
• अल्पपुण्येन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अल्पं पुण्यम्)

• लभ्यते: is obtained
• लभ्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vidurāṭṭālaka

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred grove-temple complex with twelve marked stations (small shrines/lingas), while gaṇas stand guard and gandharvas hover singing; the air shimmers with divine music.

Characters & Entities

• Vidurāṭṭālaka
• Gaṇas
• Gandharvas
• Vidurāśrama (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Access to spiritually charged landscapes is itself framed as the fruit of accumulated puṇya; sacred geography is earned as well as visited.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vidurāṭṭālaka, associated with Vidurāśrama in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it emphasizes the rarity of reaching the site and its multi-station (dvādaśa) sanctity.