Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

पिबन्गौरीकथाख्यानं विशेषगुणपूरितम् । कथं महेश्वरो नृत्यं चकार सुरसंवृतः

Transliteration

pibangaurīkathākhyānaṃ viśeṣaguṇapūritam | kathaṃ maheśvaro nṛtyaṃ cakāra surasaṃvṛtaḥ

Translation

গৌরীর কাহিনি—বিশেষ গুণে পরিপূর্ণ—পান করার মতো করে শুনতে শুনতে, দেবগণে পরিবৃত মহেশ্বর কীভাবে নৃত্য করলেন?

Word by Word

• piban: drinking
• piban: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pibat (कृदन्त; √pā)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; 'drinking' (concomitant action)

• gaurī-kathā-ākhyānam: the narration of Gaurī’s story
• gaurī-kathā-ākhyānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī + kathā + ākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (gauryāḥ kathāyāḥ ākhyānam)

• viśeṣa-guṇa-pūritam: filled with special virtues
• viśeṣa-guṇa-pūritam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśeṣa + guṇa + pūrita (कृदन्त; √pṝ/√pūr)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (filled with special qualities)

• katham: how
• katham: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• maheśvaraḥ: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• nṛtyam: dance
• nṛtyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• cakāra: did, performed
• cakāra: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• sura-saṃvṛtaḥ: surrounded by gods
• sura-saṃvṛtaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sura + saṃvṛta (कृदन्त; √vṛ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (suraiḥ saṃvṛtaḥ = surrounded by gods)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (questioner continuing the inquiry)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śūdra (questioner)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial assembly: Maheśvara in dynamic dance posture (tāṇḍava), surrounded by devas with folded hands and instruments; the narrative ‘drink’ motif shown as the listener absorbed in Gaurī’s virtues.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī
• Maheśvara
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kathā-śravaṇa is transformative: divine narrative is portrayed as so potent that it moves even the Lord to ecstatic expression.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a lead-in within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual is stated; the implied practice is devoted listening to sacred kathā.