Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तत्रास्ति विवरो रौद्रस्तं प्रपूरय सत्वरम् । अर्बुदं नागमादाय मित्रं प्राणभृतां वरम्

Transliteration

tatrāsti vivaro raudrastaṃ prapūraya satvaram | arbudaṃ nāgamādāya mitraṃ prāṇabhṛtāṃ varam

Translation

“ที่นั่นมีเหวอันน่ากลัว จงรีบถมให้เต็มโดยพลัน และจงพาอรพุทะนาคไปด้วย ผู้เป็นมิตรแห่งสรรพชีวิต เป็นผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่ผู้มีลมหายใจ”

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• अस्ति: there is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• विवरः: a hole, cavity
• विवरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रौद्रः: terrible, fierce
• रौद्रः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying विवरः)

• तम्: it (that hole)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रपूरय: fill up
• प्रपूरय: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूर् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्गयुक्त धातु

• सत्वरम्: quickly
• सत्वरम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सत्वर (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

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

• नागम्: serpent
• नागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + दा (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive); अर्थ—गृहीत्वा (having taken)

• मित्रम्: friend
• मित्रम्: Karma (Appositional object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अर्बुदं/नागम् इत्यस्य विशेष्यभावे

• प्राणभृताम्: of living beings
• प्राणभृताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण + भृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष समास (प्राणान् बिभ्रति इति); पुं/नपुं? (समूहवाचक), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• वरम्: excellent, best
• वरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (मित्रम्)

Speaker

Himavān (in Sūta’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda (contextual nāga-linked sacred geography)

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nandivardhana is instructed to rush to a terrifying chasm near the hermitage and fill it, taking Arbuda the nāga—noble, friendly, and foremost among living beings—as companion and helper.

Characters & Entities

• Himavān
• Nandivardhana
• Arbuda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred landscapes are maintained through responsible action; dharma includes protecting the world by remedying dangers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda region is foregrounded via Arbuda Nāga and the described terrain feature (vivara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the instruction is practical—fill the chasm and enlist Arbuda.