Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

या नृत्यं कुरुते नारी विधवापि तदग्रतः । गीतं वा कुरुते तत्र तस्याः शृणुत यत्फलम्

Transliteration

yā nṛtyaṃ kurute nārī vidhavāpi tadagrataḥ | gītaṃ vā kurute tatra tasyāḥ śṛṇuta yatphalam

Translation

いかなる女性であれ――たとえ寡婦であっても――その場で女神の御前に舞い、あるいは歌うならば、そこから彼女に生ずる功徳の果報を聞け。

Word by Word

• yā: she who
• yā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• nṛtyam: dance
• nṛtyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• kurute: performs
• kurute: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• nārī: woman
• nārī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• vidhavā: widow
• vidhavā: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhavā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• api: even/also
• api: Kriya-vishesana (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि (also/even) निपात

• tad-agrataḥ: in front of it/there
• tad-agrataḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad + agrataḥ (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• gītam: song/singing
• gītam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gīta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म; भूतकृदन्त (PPP) ‘sung song’

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle ‘or’)

• kurute: does/performs
• kurute: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

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

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• śṛṇuta: hear (you all)
• śṛṇuta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• yat: which
• yat: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• phalam: result
• phalam: Karma (Object of hearing/श्रवणकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the temple forecourt, a woman—explicitly even a widow—sings or dances before the Devī; musicians keep tala softly; the deity’s presence is felt as compassionate acceptance of heartfelt offering.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī (Devī)
• Nṛtya
• Gīta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti is not limited to formal rites—devotional arts like song and dance offered before the Devī are also treated as meritorious worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sāvitrī-devī location praised in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, Adhyāya 192.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform nṛtya (dance) or gīta (devotional singing) before the Devī at the site as an offering of devotion.