Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

गायकाश्च जगुस्तत्र तथा वाद्यानि वादकाः । नर्तका ननृतुस्तत्र तथा राज्यमहोत्सवे

Transliteration

gāyakāśca jagustatra tathā vādyāni vādakāḥ | nartakā nanṛtustatra tathā rājyamahotsave

Translation

Là, les chanteurs chantèrent, les musiciens firent résonner leurs instruments, et les danseurs dansèrent aussi : telle fut la grande fête du sacre royal.

Word by Word

• gāyakāḥ: singers
• gāyakāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāyaka (प्रातिपदिक; √gai/गै ‘गायने’ इत्यस्मात्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• jaguḥ: sang
• jaguḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gai (गै)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (thus/also)

• vādyāni: musical instruments
• vādyāni: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vādya (प्रातिपदिक; √vad/वद् ‘वादने/नादे’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन (Plural)

• vādakāḥ: instrumentalists/players
• vādakāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vādaka (प्रातिपदिक; √vad/वद् ‘वादने’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• nartakāḥ: dancers
• nartakāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nartaka (प्रातिपदिक; √nṛt/नृत् ‘नर्तने’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• nanṛtuḥ: danced
• nanṛtuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nṛt (नृत्)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• tathā: also
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकार-बोधक अव्यय (also)

• rājya-mahotsave: at the great royal festival
• rājya-mahotsave: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक) + mahotsava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (rājyasya mahotsavaḥ)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand consecration festival: singers in rows, instrumentalists with vīṇā, mṛdaṅga, śaṅkha, and dancers performing in a decorated sabhā; lamps and banners frame the royal seat.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyaka
• Vādaka
• Nartaka
• Rājyamahotsava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When authority is established in a dharmic manner, joy becomes a form of offering—art and celebration serve the sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The description remains in Svarga’s royal court festivities; Kedāra Khaṇḍa provides the larger frame, but this verse is not a tīrtha-stuti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit injunction; it describes customary celebratory elements associated with abhiṣeka and royal rites.