Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

मार्क्कंडोऽपि द्रुतं गत्वा रम्य मर्बुदपर्वतम् । तपस्तेपे सुविस्तीर्णं ध्यायन्देवं पितामहम्

Transliteration

mārkkaṃḍo'pi drutaṃ gatvā ramya marbudaparvatam | tapastepe suvistīrṇaṃ dhyāyandevaṃ pitāmaham

Translation

มารกัณฑेयะก็รีบไปยังภูเขาอรพุทะอันรื่นรมย์ แล้วบำเพ็ญตบะยาวนานกว้างขวาง ณ ที่นั้น พร้อมเพ่งภาวนาต่อเทพปิตามหะ (พรหมา)

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डः: Mārkaṇḍa
• मार्कण्डः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Nipāta (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षा-अव्यय (particle: 'also/even')

• द्रुतम्: quickly
• द्रुतम्: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्रुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-एकवचन (adverbial accusative)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• रम्यम्: beautiful
• रम्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to अर्बुदपर्वतम्)

• अर्बुदपर्वतम्: Mount Arbuda
• अर्बुदपर्वतम्: Karma (Object of गत्वा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अर्बुदस्य पर्वतः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तपः: austerity/penance
• तपः: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• तेपे: performed (austerity)
• तेपे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• सुविस्तीर्णम्: very extensive
• सुविस्तीर्णम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + विस्तीर्ण (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, स्तृ)
• Form: कर्मधारय (सु + विस्तीर्ण), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to तपः)

• ध्यायन्: meditating
• ध्यायन्: Karta (Agent of participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियासहचर (concomitant action)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object of ध्यायन्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पितामहम्: Pitāmaha (Grandfather; Brahmā)
• पितामहम्: Karma (Apposition to देवम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिता (प्रातिपदिक) + मह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (पितॄणां महः/महान् पिता), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवस्य विशेषण/नाम

Speaker

Pulastya (contextual narrator to the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-parvata

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, youthful yet radiant ascetic, strides toward the beautiful Arbuda mountain; then shown seated in deep meditation amid rocky terraces and forested slopes, with a subtle Brahmā icon/vision above or behind, indicating Pitāmaha as iṣṭa-devatā.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Arbuda Parvata
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy place becomes a seat of power through sustained tapas and focused meditation on the divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda Parvata (Mount Arbuda) in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s Arbuda Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; it highlights tapas (austerity) and dhyāna (meditation).