Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

वाद्यमानेषु वाद्येषु सिद्धकिन्नरगुह्यकैः । गन्धर्वैर्गीतसंसक्तैर्वेदोच्चारपरैर्द्विजैः । अरणिं समुपादाय पुलस्त्यो वाक्यमब्रवीत्

Transliteration

vādyamāneṣu vādyeṣu siddhakinnaraguhyakaiḥ | gandharvairgītasaṃsaktairvedoccāraparairdvijaiḥ | araṇiṃ samupādāya pulastyo vākyamabravīt

Translation

സിദ്ധന്മാരും കിന്നരന്മാരും ഗുഹ്യകരും വാദ്യങ്ങൾ മുഴക്കുമ്പോൾ; ഗന്ധർവർ ഗാനത്തിൽ ലീനരാകുമ്പോൾ; വേദോച്ചാരണത്തിൽ തത്പരരായ ദ്വിജർ അന്തരീക്ഷം നിറയ്ക്കുമ്പോൾ—പുലസ്ത്യൻ അരണി (അഗ്നിമഥനക്കൊമ്പുകൾ) കൈയിലെടുത്ത് ഈ വാക്കുകൾ പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• वाद्यमानेषु: while (they were) being played
• वाद्यमानेषु: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाद्य (प्रातिपदिक) + मान (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्/मान), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन; 'वाद्यमान' = being played; विशेषणम् (वाद्येषु)

• वाद्येषु: in the musical instruments
• वाद्येषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन

• सिद्धकिन्नरगुह्यकैः: by Siddhas, Kinnaras, and Guhyakas
• सिद्धकिन्नरगुह्यकैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent group/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध + किन्नर + गुह्यक (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (सिद्धाः च किन्नराः च गुह्यकाः च), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• गन्धर्वैः: by Gandharvas
• गन्धर्वैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent group/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• गीतसंसक्तैः: engaged in singing
• गीतसंसक्तैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गीत + संसक्त (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (गीते संसक्ताः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (गन्धर्वैः)

• वेदोच्चारपरैः: devoted to Vedic recitation
• वेदोच्चारपरैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद + उच्चार + पर (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वेदोच्चारे पराः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (द्विजैः)

• द्विजैः: by twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• द्विजैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent group/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• अरणिम्: fire-stick (araṇi)
• अरणिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• समुपादाय: having taken up
• समुपादाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + उप + आ + दा (धातु) + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिकक्रिया—'having taken up'

• पुलस्त्यः: Pulastya
• पुलस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• वाक्यम्: words/speech
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta (narration; introduces Pulastya’s speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand sacrificial pavilion alive with sound: Siddhas, Kinnaras, and Guhyakas playing instruments; Gandharvas singing; brāhmaṇas chanting Veda; Pulastya holds araṇi fire-sticks ready to kindle sacred fire and speak.

Characters & Entities

• Siddhas
• Kinnaras
• Guhyakas
• Gandharvas
• Dvijāḥ (Brāhmaṇas)
• Pulastya
• Araṇi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true yajña is a total sacred ecology—sound, mantra, and fire converge, drawing even celestial beings into the kṣetra’s dharmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies the yajña-maṇḍapa within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa kṣetra, portrayed as a place where Vedic sound and divine attendance naturally arise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use of araṇi for kindling the sacred fire and the prominence of Vedic recitation by dvijas as part of yajña proceedings.