Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

रङ्गभूमावुपाविश्य कारयामास ताण्डवम् । उपविष्टाः सुराः सर्वे यममारुतकिन्नराः

Transliteration

raṅgabhūmāvupāviśya kārayāmāsa tāṇḍavam | upaviṣṭāḥ surāḥ sarve yamamārutakinnarāḥ

Translation

Auf dem Aufführungsplatz nahm er Platz und ließ ein Tāṇḍava aufführen. Alle Götter saßen da und schauten zu—zusammen mit Yama, den Maruts und den Kinnaras.

Word by Word

• raṅga-bhūmau: on the stage-ground
• raṅga-bhūmau: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūmi (भूमि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन (singular)

• upāviśya: having sat down
• upāviśya: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: upa-√viś (विश् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• kārayāmāsa: caused to be done / made (them) perform
• kārayāmāsa: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु) [णिच् causative] + āsa (अस् धातु सहायक)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• tāṇḍavam: the tāṇḍava dance
• tāṇḍavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāṇḍava (ताण्डव प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• upaviṣṭāḥ: seated
• upaviṣṭāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-√viś (विश् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural)

• surāḥ: gods
• surāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (सुर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural); विशेषण

• yama-māruta-kinnarāḥ: Yamas, Maruts, and Kinnaras
• yama-māruta-kinnarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक) + māruta (प्रातिपदिक) + kinnara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural); इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (copulative)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand performance-ground in heaven: a central figure seated, commanding a tāṇḍava; gods including Yama and Maruts sit as audience; Kinnaras present as celestial musicians.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Marut/Maruts
• Kinnaras
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas often use spectacle to reveal power dynamics: even sacred arts like dance become instruments when seized by adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the setting is a celestial raṅgabhūmi within Svarga’s assembly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual prescription; it narrates a performance (tāṇḍava) arranged in the court.