Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

नृत्यगीतादिकं यश्च कुर्याद्विष्णोः सदा गृहे । अप्सरसोऽस्य कुर्वंति पुरतः स्वर्गतस्य च

Transliteration

nṛtyagītādikaṃ yaśca kuryādviṣṇoḥ sadā gṛhe | apsaraso'sya kurvaṃti purataḥ svargatasya ca

Translation

Wer im Hause Viṣṇus beständig Tanz, Gesang und Ähnliches darbringt, dem stehen Apsaras voran—selbst wenn er in den Himmel eingegangen ist.

Word by Word

• nṛtyagītādikam: dance, song, etc. (such acts)
• nṛtyagītādikam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛtya (प्रातिपदिक) + gīta (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + ka (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—नृत्यं च गीतं च (द्वन्द्व-भाव) तयोः आदिः (तत्पुरुष), तदादिकम् (तद्धित/क-प्रत्यय)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकः (relative pronoun)

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

• kuryāt: should do / would perform
• kuryāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातुः—कृ (to do)

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• gṛhe: in (the) house
• gṛhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• apsarasaḥ: apsarases (celestial nymphs)
• apsarasaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apsaras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• asya: of him / his
• asya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kurvanti: do / perform
• kurvanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; धातुः—कृ

• purataḥ: in front (of)
• purataḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puratas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निपात)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• svargatasya: of the one who has gone to heaven
• svargatasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त, √gam)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; समासः—स्वर्गं गतः (द्वितीया-तत्पुरुष); कृदन्तः—गत (क्त)

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

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇoḥ gṛhe saṅgīta-sevā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a Viṣṇu temple hall, devotees perform devotional dance and sing with cymbals and vīṇā; the sanctum doors glow; ethereal apsarases appear subtly in the air, garlands in hand.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Apsaras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional arts offered to Viṣṇu are recognized as sacred service with lasting spiritual and celestial recompense.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The glorified setting is Viṣṇu’s gṛha/āyatana (temple/house), not a named geographic tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer nṛtya (dance), gīta (song), and related devotional performances in Viṣṇu’s temple/house as regular service.