Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46
स्वमूर्त्तिवाहनोपेताः स्वभर्तृसहिताः स्थिताः । ब्रह्मा मृदंगवाद्येन तोषयामास शंकरम्
svamūrttivāhanopetāḥ svabhartṛsahitāḥ sthitāḥ | brahmā mṛdaṃgavādyena toṣayāmāsa śaṃkaram
Pourvus de leurs propres formes et de leurs montures, se tenant auprès de leurs seigneurs, Brahmā réjouit Śaṅkara par le jeu du tambour mṛdaṅga.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; exact speaker not explicit in the snippet)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A grand divine sabhā at a sacred tīrtha: Brahmā, with his mount and retinue, plays the mṛdaṅga to delight Śaṅkara; other deities stand in ordered ranks, each with their vāhana and consorts, forming a ceremonial orchestra before Śiva.
FAQs
Even the highest deities honor Śiva through service; devotional music is portrayed as a direct means to please Śaṅkara.
The surrounding Tīrthamāhātmya glorifies a sacred setting, while this verse highlights the worship-event (music to Śiva) rather than naming the site.
Musical offering (vādyasevā)—here, mṛdaṅga-vādana—is presented as an act of worship.