Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

मंडलब्राह्मणाद्यैश्च तारं स्वरमुपाश्रितः । सप्तयुंजर वाद्यैश्च अग्निरेवेति भक्तितः

Transliteration

maṃḍalabrāhmaṇādyaiśca tāraṃ svaramupāśritaḥ | saptayuṃjara vādyaiśca agnireveti bhaktitaḥ

Translation

മണ്ഡല-ബ്രാഹ്മണന്മാർ മുതലായവരുടെ പിന്തുണയോടെ അവൻ ഉയർന്ന, മുഴങ്ങുന്ന സ്വരം സ്വീകരിച്ചു. ഏഴുവിധ വാദ്യങ്ങളുടെ നാദത്തോടൊപ്പം ഭക്തിയോടെ “അഗ്നിയേ തന്നെയാണ് (ആരാധ്യൻ)” എന്നു പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• मण्डल-ब्राह्मण-आद्यैः: with the local brāhmaṇas and others
• मण्डल-ब्राह्मण-आद्यैः: Sahakārī/Karaṇa (Accompaniment/Instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक) + brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (मण्डलस्य ब्राह्मणाः आदयः येषां/मण्डलब्राह्मणादयः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• तारम्: high-pitched
• तारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (उच्च/तीव्र)

• स्वरम्: tone; voice
• स्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• उपाश्रितः: having adopted; resorting to
• उपाश्रितः: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-ā-śri (धातु) → upāśrita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सप्त-युञ्जर-वाद्यैः: with seven yuṃjara instruments
• सप्त-युञ्जर-वाद्यैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + yuṃjara (प्रातिपदिक; वाद्यविशेष) + vādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; समासः—द्विगु (सप्त युञ्जर-वाद्यानि)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• अग्निः: Agni (Fire)
• अग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• एव: indeed; only
• एव: Emphasis (Avadhāraṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चय/अवधारण)

• इति: thus
• इति: Quotation marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक)

• भक्तितः: out of devotion
• भक्तितः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय; 'भक्तितः' = भक्त्या/भक्त्या हेतोः (from devotion)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of brāhmaṇas supports the lead devotee; they chant in a high resonant tone while seven kinds of instruments sound; the devotee proclaims a formulaic acclamation, framed like a yajña-assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Agni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion becomes powerful when joined with disciplined sacred sound (svara) and reverent praise of the divine presence symbolized by Agni.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya (Adhyāya 157), a tīrtha-glorification context, though this single verse does not name the site explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It indicates liturgical chanting in a high tone and accompaniment by instruments as part of worship centered on Agni.