Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

नृत्यं वादित्रसहितं वीक्ष्यमाणो मुहुर्मुहुः । गोष्ठीं चक्रे सभामध्ये सत्यलोके कदाचन

Transliteration

nṛtyaṃ vāditrasahitaṃ vīkṣyamāṇo muhurmuhuḥ | goṣṭhīṃ cakre sabhāmadhye satyaloke kadācana

Translation

Regardant sans cesse la danse accompagnée d’instruments, il tint un jour un saint entretien au cœur de l’assemblée, dans le Satyaloka.

Word by Word

• नृत्यम्: dance
• नृत्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; object of seeing

• वादित्रसहितम्: accompanied by instruments
• वादित्रसहितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वादित्र (प्रातिपदिक) + सहित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नृत्यम् इति विशेषणम्; ‘with musical instruments’

• वीक्ष्यमाणः: watching/observing
• वीक्ष्यमाणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वीक्ष् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि-प्रयोगे वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘being seen/observing’ (contextually: observing)

• मुहुः: again and again
• मुहुः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• मुहुः: repeatedly
• मुहुः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति द्वारा आवृत्तिः (reduplication for emphasis)

• गोष्ठीम्: assembly/gathering
• गोष्ठीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोष्ठी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; object of ‘made/held’

• चक्रे: he made/held
• चक्रे: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; ‘made/held’

• सभामध्ये: in the middle of the assembly hall
• सभामध्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सभा (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्ये (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-निबद्ध)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• सत्यलोके: in Satyaloka
• सत्यलोके: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• कदाचन: once/at some time
• कदाचन: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta narrator)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous celestial hall in Satyaloka: a central dais with an august figure observing repeated dance-and-music; sages and devas seated in orderly rows; golden pillars, lotus motifs, and a calm, radiant atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Satyaloka
• Assembly (sabhā)
• Dance and music (nṛtya-vāditra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred joy (arts) and sacred inquiry (goṣṭhī) are complementary; dharma is taught within an atmosphere of harmony and auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No earthly tīrtha is named; Satyaloka is the narrative setting for the discourse that will support later tīrtha-glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse introduces the occasion for a teaching/discourse.