Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18
ऋषय ऊचुः । कस्मात्त्वं पार्थिवश्रेष्ठ प्रदक्षिणापरः सदा । देवस्यास्य विशेषेण सत्यं नो वक्तुमर्हसि
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kasmāttvaṃ pārthivaśreṣṭha pradakṣiṇāparaḥ sadā | devasyāsya viśeṣeṇa satyaṃ no vaktumarhasi
Các bậc hiền triết nói: “Ôi bậc vương thượng tối thắng, vì sao ngài luôn chuyên tâm vào pradakṣiṇā (đi nhiễu quanh)? Xin nói cho chúng tôi sự thật—nhất là về vị thần linh này—nguyên do là gì.”
Ṛṣayaḥ (Sages)
Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (specific deity unnamed in verse)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Veṇu (king; addressed as pārthiva-śreṣṭha)
Scene: Sages address a king with respectful urgency, pointing toward the liṅga-shrine; the king stands poised, hands folded, known for constant circumambulation; the deity’s presence is felt as a focal aura.
FAQs
True devotion invites inquiry and explanation; consistent pradakṣiṇā is treated as a meaningful act of bhakti worthy of being understood and emulated.
Within the Arbuda Khaṇḍa setting, the focus is the shrine/temple precinct where the deity (Śiva, indicated by later liṅga references) is worshiped.
Pradakṣiṇā—ritual circumambulation of the deity/temple—is highlighted as the king’s constant practice.