Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

कुमार्यश्चित्रकाणां च तत्र क्रीडं ति हर्षिताः । अकुर्वन्वाडवा यत्र वेदगानं तिरंतरम्

Transliteration

kumāryaścitrakāṇāṃ ca tatra krīḍaṃ ti harṣitāḥ | akurvanvāḍavā yatra vedagānaṃ tiraṃtaram

Translation

Là, des jeunes filles, pleines de joie, jouaient avec des jouets aux couleurs variées ; et en ce lieu les jeunes gens poursuivaient sans cesse le chant des Veda.

Word by Word

• kumāryaḥ: girls/maidens
• kumāryaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (feminine, nominative plural)

• citrakāṇām: of the citrakas (a group/people)
• citrakāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (masculine, genitive plural)

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

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• krīḍanti: play
• krīḍanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: krīḍ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (present; 3rd person plural)

• harṣitāḥ: delighted
• harṣitāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: harṣ (धातु) → harṣita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (past participle used adjectivally; masc nom pl)

• akurvan: did/performed
• akurvan: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (imperfect; 3rd person plural)

• vāḍavāḥ: young men/people called vāḍavas
• vāḍavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāḍava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative locative adverb: where)

• veda-gānam: Vedic chanting
• veda-gānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + gāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: वेदानां गानम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

• tirantaram: continuously
• tirantaram: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tirantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb; textual variant of nirantaram)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa (contextual description to Rāma)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Girls happily playing with colorful toys in a village-forest setting while youths chant the Vedas continuously, suggesting a seamless blend of culture, education, and devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred place is marked not only by geography but by lived dharma—joyful community life sustained by continuous Vedic recitation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, portrayed as a dharmic settlement where Vedic sound (śruti) once resounded.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Continuous Veda-gāna (Vedic chanting/recitation) is highlighted as an ongoing sacred practice.