Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठो नाम देवर्षिः पितामहसमुद्भवः । स पूर्वं भूतलं प्राप्तस्तपस्तेपे सुदारुणम्

Transliteration

vasiṣṭho nāma devarṣiḥ pitāmahasamudbhavaḥ | sa pūrvaṃ bhūtalaṃ prāptastapastepe sudāruṇam

Translation

有一位天仙圣者名为瓦西什塔（Vasiṣṭha），出自祖父神梵天（Brahmā）。往昔他降临人间，修行极其严峻的苦行（tapas）。

Word by Word

• वसिष्ठः: Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Apposition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), नामार्थक-निपात (particle 'named')

• देवर्षिः: divine sage
• देवर्षिः: Karta (Appositional/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• पितामहसमुद्भवः: born from Brahmā (the grandsire)
• पितामहसमुद्भवः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक) + सम् + उद् + भू (धातु) → समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• पूर्वम्: formerly, earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• भूतलम्: the earth-surface, ground
• भूतलम्: Karma (Goal/object of motion/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (धातु) + तल (प्रातिपदिक) → भूतल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• प्राप्तः: having reached
• प्राप्तः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• तेपे: performed (austerity)
• तेपे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• सुदारुणम्: very severe
• सुदारुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda (contextual; Vasiṣṭha’s tapas as causal backdrop)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-śreṣṭhas/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The divine sage Vasiṣṭha, radiant and austere, descends to earth; the scene foreshadows a hermitage near a sacred mountain where intense penance will unfold.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The foundation of a tīrtha’s glory is often the intense tapas of a great ṛṣi acting for dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative groundwork for Arbuda’s sanctity begins with Vasiṣṭha’s austerities on earth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is described as Vasiṣṭha’s practice; no lay ritual is prescribed.