Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

भ्रामयेन्नगरं सर्वं नानावाद्यैः समन्वितम् । स्थापयेद्भ्रामयित्वा तु सकलं नगरं नृपः

Transliteration

bhrāmayennagaraṃ sarvaṃ nānāvādyaiḥ samanvitam | sthāpayedbhrāmayitvā tu sakalaṃ nagaraṃ nṛpaḥ

Translation

Raja hendaknya mengarak dan mengelilingi seluruh kota, diiringi beraneka alat musik. Setelah mengelilingkannya, ia menempatkan kembali seluruh kota dengan tertib sebagaimana mestinya.

Word by Word

• भ्रामयेत्: should cause to go around / should parade
• भ्रामयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिजन्त—‘भ्रामयति’ (to cause to go around)

• नगरम्: the city
• नगरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सर्वम्: entire
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘नगरम्’ इति विशेषण

• नानावाद्यैः: with various musical instruments
• नानावाद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाना (अव्यय) + वाद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—नानाविधानि वाद्यानि

• समन्वितम्: accompanied/filled (with)
• समन्वितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + अन्वि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘नगरम्’ इति विशेषण—युक्तम्

• स्थापयेत्: should set/establish
• स्थापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिजन्त—‘स्थापयति’

• भ्रामयित्वा: having caused to go around
• भ्रामयित्वा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु) + णिच् + क्त्वा (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); णिजन्त-धातोः—‘भ्रामयित्वा’ (having paraded)

• तु: then
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अनन्तरार्थक-निपात (particle: ‘but/then’)

• सकलम्: whole
• सकलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘नगरम्’ इति विशेषण

• नगरम्: the city
• नगरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• नृपः: the king
• नृपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand chariot procession circles the entire city: banners, parasols, garlands, and multiple instrument groups; the king oversees the movement, and after the circuit the procession returns and stations the deity and attendants in their proper places.

Characters & Entities

• Nṛpa (king)
• Nagara (city)
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Public devotion is also social dharma: orderly, reverent celebration integrates the whole community into sacred practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, described through its city-wide festival procession traditions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A city-wide circumambulating procession with music, overseen by the king, followed by orderly re-establishment of the procession’s stations.