Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । अथाह भगवान्विष्णुरंबरीषं जनाधिपम् । ज्ञानयोगं सुविस्तीर्णं संसारक्षयकारणम्

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | athāha bhagavānviṣṇuraṃbarīṣaṃ janādhipam | jñānayogaṃ suvistīrṇaṃ saṃsārakṣayakāraṇam

Translation

పులస్త్యుడు పలికెను—అనంతరం భగవాన్ విష్ణువు జనాధిపుడైన అంబరీష రాజును సంబోధించి, సంసారబంధనక్షయకారణమైన జ్ఞానయోగాన్ని విస్తారంగా ఉపదేశించెను।

Word by Word

• pulastyaḥ: Pulastya
• pulastyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pulastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; संज्ञा

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्ययम् (then)

• āha: said
• āha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ah (धातु; √ah)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भिन्नपद-समुच्चयः (bhagavān viṣṇuḥ)

• aṃbarīṣam: Ambarīṣa
• aṃbarīṣam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃbarīṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• janādhipam: the ruler of people (king)
• janādhipam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; apposition to aṃbarīṣam

• jñāna-yogam: the yoga of knowledge
• jñāna-yogam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• su-vistīrṇam: very extensive
• su-vistīrṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय-उपपद) + vistīrṇa (कृदन्त; √stṛ with vi)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्त (क्त); विशेषणम् (jñānayogam इति)

• saṃsāra-kṣaya-kāraṇam: the cause of the destruction of saṃsāra
• saṃsāra-kṣaya-kāraṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (jñānayogam इति)

Speaker

Pulastya (narrator)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (implied) the audience/king addressed as 'janādhipa' in narration; within scene, Ambārīṣa is listener to Viṣṇu

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pulastya narrates as Viṣṇu turns to Ambārīṣa and begins an expansive discourse on jñāna-yoga; the atmosphere is contemplative, like a sacred classroom.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Viṣṇu
• Ambārīṣa
• Keśava (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is grounded in jñāna (true knowledge); Viṣṇu teaches a path that erodes saṃsāric bondage at its root.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is set within Arbuda-khaṇḍa (Mount Arbuda/Abu region) of the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa, though this line itself focuses on yoga teaching rather than naming a tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is doctrinal—an exposition of jñānayoga.