Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

एतस्मात्कारणाद्विप्र नृत्यमेतत्करोम्यहम् । आनंदं परमं प्राप्य सिद्धिजं सिद्धसत्तम

Transliteration

etasmātkāraṇādvipra nṛtyametatkaromyaham | ānaṃdaṃ paramaṃ prāpya siddhijaṃ siddhasattama

Translation

Aus diesem Grund, o Brāhmane, vollführe ich diesen Tanz: nachdem ich die höchste Wonne erlangt habe, die aus der Siddhi geboren ist, o Bester unter den Vollendeten.

Word by Word

• etasmāt: from this
• etasmāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (pronoun), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• kāraṇāt: from the reason/cause
• kāraṇāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• vipra: O brāhmaṇa
• vipra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

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

• etat: this
• etat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma-adjective, Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with nṛtyam

• karomi: I do
• karomi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्, Present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Uttama-puruṣa (1st person/उत्तम), Singular (एकवचन)

• aham: I
• aham: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aham (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• ānandam: bliss
• ānandam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with ānandam

• prāpya: having attained
• prāpya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), meaning ‘having attained’

• siddhijam: born of siddhi (attainment)
• siddhijam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘siddheḥ jātaḥ’), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with (implied) nṛtyam/ānandam per context

• siddhasattama: O best of the Siddhas
• siddhasattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (कर्मधारय/षष्ठी sense: ‘siddhānāṃ sattamaḥ’), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Viprendra / dvijottama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa addressed as ‘vipra’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A siddha-like figure addresses a brāhmaṇa, explaining that he dances due to supreme bliss attained through siddhi; the atmosphere is charged with sacred wonder, anticipating Śiva’s intervention.

Characters & Entities

• vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• siddhi
• ānanda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual attainment is portrayed as culminating in inner bliss that naturally overflows into expressive devotion—yet it still must align with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it continues the episode within the tīrtha-māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes a personal response (dance) to perceived siddhi and bliss.