Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

बभूव गायकानां च गायनं सुमहत्तदा । ततानि विततान्येन घानानि सुषिराणि च

Transliteration

babhūva gāyakānāṃ ca gāyanaṃ sumahattadā | tatāni vitatānyena ghānāni suṣirāṇi ca

Translation

Da wurde der Gesang der Sänger überaus erhaben. Und es erklangen auch Instrumente jeder Art: Saiteninstrumente, mit gespannter Haut, Schlagwerk und Blasinstrumente.

Word by Word

• babhūva: became, arose
• babhūva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• gāyakānām: of the singers
• gāyakānām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• gāyanam: singing
• gāyanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāyana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sumahat: very great
• sumahat: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with gāyanam)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• tatāni: stringed instruments
• tatāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• vitatāni: stretched (string) instruments
• vitatāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vitata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ena: by this/thereby
• ena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ghānāni: percussion instruments (lit. ‘struck’)
• ghānāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• suṣirāṇi: wind instruments (hollow)
• suṣirāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suṣira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedārakhaṇḍa sacred region

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast ensemble: lead vocalists sing powerfully while strings, stretched-skin drums, percussion, and wind instruments join in layered harmony.

Characters & Entities

• Singers (gāyaka)
• Musical instruments (tatāni, vitatāni, ghānāni, suṣirāṇi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Art offered in devotion—song and music—becomes sacred service when centered on the Divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra pilgrimage milieu is reinforced through imagery of grand devotional celebration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the verse describes devotional performance (gāna-vādya) as part of the event.