Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29
गीतं वा यदि वा नृत्यं तत्पुरः कुरुते नरः । स सर्वेषां भजेच्छ्रेयो मखानां नात्र संशयः
gītaṃ vā yadi vā nṛtyaṃ tatpuraḥ kurute naraḥ | sa sarveṣāṃ bhajecchreyo makhānāṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ
سواء كان غناءً أم رقصًا، فإنّ من يقدّمه بين يدي ذلك الربّ ينال الخير الأسمى، مساوياً لثواب جميع القرابين والذبائح؛ ولا شكّ في ذلك.
Brahmasaṃbhava Muni (deduced from concluding verse of the passage)
Tirtha: Mahāyogipura (implied)
Type: kshetra
Scene: In a temple hall, devotees sing while a dancer performs a restrained devotional nṛtya before a decorated Śiva-liṅga; above, symbolic sacrificial fires and offerings appear as luminous overlays, indicating ‘all sacrifices’ fulfilled.
FAQs
Bhakti expressed through art (song and dance) is treated as a complete offering, equivalent to the cumulative merit of ritual sacrifices.
The Rudrāvarta/Mahāyogipura setting, where such devotional acts are performed in the deity’s presence.
Offering gīta (singing) or nṛtya (dance) as devotional service before the deity.