Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । अर्बुदस्य च माहात्म्यं विस्तरेण वदस्व नः । कौतुकं सूत नो जातं कथयस्व यथा शुभम्

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | arbudasya ca māhātmyaṃ vistareṇa vadasva naḥ | kautukaṃ sūta no jātaṃ kathayasva yathā śubham

Translation

诸仙人说道：“请为我们详述阿尔布达的伟大功德。噢苏多，我们心中已生好奇；愿你以吉祥之法宣说其事。”

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: the sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत, perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• arbudasya: of Arbuda
• arbudasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arbuda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (नाम), षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक conjunction)

• māhātmyam: greatness/glory
• māhātmyam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• vistareṇa: in detail
• vistareṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument/means; manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण/प्रकारवाचक

• vadasva: tell/speak
• vadasva: Kriyā (Requested action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ, imperative); आत्मनेपद; मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• naḥ: to us/for us
• naḥ: Sampradāna (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6th/4th) बहुवचन-रूप ‘नः’; अत्र सम्प्रदानार्थे (to us)

• kautukam: curiosity
• kautukam: Karta (Subject of ‘jātam’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kautuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• sūta: O Sūta
• sūta: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• naḥ: our
• naḥ: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• jātam: has arisen
• jātam: Kriyā (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु) → jāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘भवति/अस्ति’ अर्थे (has arisen)

• kathayasva: narrate
• kathayasva: Kriyā (Requested action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kathaya (धातु-प्रयोगः; √kath/√kathay)
• Form: लोट् (imperative); आत्मनेपद; मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yathā: as/how
• yathā: Prakāra (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/प्रकार/यथार्थबोधक)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (कथाम् इति अध्याहार्य)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (assembled sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-māhātmya (requested)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages in a forest āśrama, leaning forward with attentive faces, addressing Sūta with palms joined, requesting the detailed glory of Arbuda.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Sūta
• Arbuda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right curiosity about sacred places leads to listening (śravaṇa) of māhātmya, which itself is considered auspicious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda (Mount Abu region), whose greatness the sages request to hear.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it initiates the māhātmya through the act of hearing and narration.