Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 114
यः पुनर्नृत्यगीताद्यं कुरुते च तदग्रतः । आजन्ममरणात्पापात्सोऽपि मुक्तिमवाप्नुयात्
yaḥ punarnṛtyagītādyaṃ kurute ca tadagrataḥ | ājanmamaraṇātpāpātso'pi muktimavāpnuyāt
De plus, quiconque offre devant Lui danse, chant et offrandes semblables est délivré même des péchés amassés de la naissance à la mort, et parvient à la Libération (mokṣa).
Sūta (narrative voice)
Type: temple (kshetra context)
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame)
Scene: A devotional performance unfolds before the sanctum: singers with cymbals, dancers in reverent posture, and the deity receiving the offering; the atmosphere is ecstatic yet disciplined, culminating in a sense of release and peace.
FAQs
Bhakti expressed through heartfelt offerings—even artistic ones—can culminate in profound purification and liberation.
The verse extols worship before the local deity of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa shrine, later named Nimbēśvara.
Performing nṛtya-gīta (devotional dance and song) and related offerings in the deity’s presence.