Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

वालखिल्याश्रमे यत्र तल्लिंगं निपपात ह । तुष्टुवुर्विविधैः सूक्तैर्वेदोक्तैर्विनयान्विताः

Transliteration

vālakhilyāśrame yatra talliṃgaṃ nipapāta ha | tuṣṭuvurvividhaiḥ sūktairvedoktairvinayānvitāḥ

Translation

جہاں والکھلیوں کے آشرم میں وہ لِنگ گر پڑا۔ پھر وہ سب نہایت انکساری کے ساتھ ویدوں میں مذکور گوناگوں سوکتوں سے پروردگار کی ستائش کرنے لگے۔

Word by Word

• वालखिल्याश्रमे: in the Vālakhilyas’ hermitage
• वालखिल्याश्रमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वालखिल्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: ‘of the Vālakhilyas’), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन (singular)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक-सम्बन्धक (relative locative adverb: ‘where’)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; अत्र द्वितीया (accusative)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• निपपात: fell down
• निपपात: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + पत् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• ह: indeed; (emphatic)
• ह: Discourse particle (Nipata/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle; emphasis/reminiscence)

• तुष्टुवुः: praised
• तुष्टुवुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• विविधैः: with various
• विविधैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (instrumental), बहुवचन (plural)

• सूक्तैः: with hymns
• सूक्तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), तृतीया (instrumental), बहुवचन (plural)

• वेदोक्तैः: Veda-declared
• वेदोक्तैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + उक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयार्थ (as ‘spoken in the Veda’), क्त (PPP) ‘उक्त’, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (instrumental), बहुवचन (plural)

• विनयान्विताः: endowed with humility
• विनयान्विताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनय (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (instrumental determinative: ‘endowed with humility’), क्त (PPP) ‘अन्वित’, पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (nominative), बहुवचन (plural)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vālakhilya-āśrama (Arbuda)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a serene forest hermitage of the Vālakhilya sages, a radiant liṅga descends/falls; devas bow with folded hands and chant Veda-sanctioned hymns in humility.

Characters & Entities

• Vālakhilya
• Liṅga
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even exalted ascetics respond to divine manifestations with vinaya (humility) and Veda-aligned praise, showing that devotion is grounded in reverent speech and right attitude.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vālakhilyāśrama connected with Arbuda Khaṇḍa (the Arbuda sacred region), presented as a sanctified setting for Śiva’s Liṅga manifestation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the act emphasized is stuti—praising with Vedic hymns and humble demeanor.