Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14
सुनिष्ठुरैर्नृपशुभिर्भिल्लैश्च विविधैरपि । नद्यो वहंति नो तत्र दुष्टा लोकाश्च वासिनः । नार्होऽहं पर्वतश्रेष्ठ तत्र गंतुं कथंचन
suniṣṭhurairnṛpaśubhirbhillaiśca vividhairapi | nadyo vahaṃti no tatra duṣṭā lokāśca vāsinaḥ | nārho'haṃ parvataśreṣṭha tatra gaṃtuṃ kathaṃcana
“Wilayah itu dipenuhi manusia yang sangat kejam—raja-raja hina dan pelbagai suku Bhilla. Di sana sungai-sungai tidak mengalir, dan penduduknya jahat. Wahai yang terbaik antara gunung, aku tidak layak pergi ke sana dengan apa cara sekalipun.”
Nandivardhana (implied; the frightened one addressed as ‘parvataśreṣṭha’ is Arbuda)
Tirtha: Arbuda (anticipated sanctified mountain-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Arbuda (addressed as ‘pārvatashreṣṭha’, best of mountains) and Vasiṣṭha as the immediate interlocutor
Scene: Nandivardhana, distressed, describes harsh kings and Bhilla tribes, a land without flowing rivers, and morally ‘wicked’ residents; the mountain looms as a silent witness.
FAQs
Even when a place appears dangerous or spiritually ‘dry,’ Purāṇic narratives set the stage for its later sanctification through divine presence and dharma.
The passage is preparing the glorification of the Arbuda (Mount Abu) region within the Arbuda Khaṇḍa.
No explicit rite is prescribed here; it describes the perceived impurity and fear associated with the region.