Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

यस्तु रात्रिदिनं विप्रो नृत्यगीतादिकं ददेत् । चतुरो वार्षिकान्मासान्स गन्धर्वत्वमाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

yastu rātridinaṃ vipro nṛtyagītādikaṃ dadet | caturo vārṣikānmāsānsa gandharvatvamāpnuyāt

Translation

Jener Brāhmaṇa jedoch, der Tag und Nacht Tanz, Gesang und dergleichen darbringt und dies in jedem Jahr vier Monate lang tut, erlangt den Stand eines Gandharva.

Word by Word

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

• tu: but / indeed
• tu: Sambandha/Discourse (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• rātridinam: day and night
• rātridinam: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक) + dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन रूपेण अव्ययवत्; अर्थः—रात्रौ दिने च (day and night)

• vipraḥ: a brāhmaṇa
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• nṛtyagītādikam: dance, song, etc. (as a gift/arrangement)
• nṛtyagītādikam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛtya (प्रातिपदिक) + gīta (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + ka (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—नृत्यगीतादि (तत्पुरुष)

• dadet: should give
• dadet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातुः—दा (to give)

• caturo: four
• caturo: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• vārṣikān: annual / of a year
• vārṣikān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vārṣika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; विशेषण (annual/pertaining to a year)

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• gandharvatvam: the state of being a Gandharva
• gandharvatvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandharva (प्रातिपदिक) + tva (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (त्व)

• āpnuyāt: would obtain
• āpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातुः—आप् (to obtain)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāturmāsya saṅgīta-nṛtya-dāna at Viṣṇu-kṣetra (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Brāhmaṇa patron arranges continuous kīrtana and dance in a temple for four months; musicians rotate day and night; at the culmination, a luminous Gandharva form is hinted above him with vīṇā.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa (vipra)
• Gandharva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained support of sacred worship and temple arts is praised as a powerful form of dāna that transforms one’s destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A specific tirtha is not named; the practice is framed as ongoing service in a devotional setting over four sacred months.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

For four months annually, continuously provide/arrange devotional dance and music offerings (nṛtya-gīta) as religious service.