Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

रङ्गभूमावुपाविश्य कारयामास ताण्डवम् । उपविष्टाः सुराः सर्वे यममारुतकिन्नराः

Transliteration

raṅgabhūmāvupāviśya kārayāmāsa tāṇḍavam | upaviṣṭāḥ surāḥ sarve yamamārutakinnarāḥ

Translation

S’étant assis sur l’aire du spectacle, il fit exécuter un tāṇḍava. Tous les dieux étaient assis à regarder, avec Yama, les Marut et les Kinnara.

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.