Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

प्रनर्त्तयितुमारेभे भवानीतोषणाय च । मंदरे पर्वतश्रेष्ठे तत्र जग्मुर्महर्षयः

Transliteration

pranarttayitumārebhe bhavānītoṣaṇāya ca | maṃdare parvataśreṣṭhe tatra jagmurmaharṣayaḥ

Translation

ഭവാനിയെ സന്തോഷിപ്പിക്കാനായി അദ്ദേഹം നൃത്തം ആരംഭിച്ചു. പർവ്വതശ്രേഷ്ഠമായ മന്ദരത്തിലേക്ക് മഹർഷിമാർ അവിടെ (ദർശനാർത്ഥം) എത്തി.

Word by Word

• प्रनर्तयितुम्: to make (her) dance / to cause to dance
• प्रनर्तयितुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नृत् (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (Infinitive), उपसर्गः प्र-, धातुः नृत् (to dance), अर्थे प्रयोजनम् (purpose)

• आरेभे: began
• आरेभे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-रभ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular), परस्मैपदम्

• भवानी-तोषणाय: for pleasing Bhavānī
• भवानी-तोषणाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवानी (प्रातिपदिक) + तोषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भवानीया तोषणम्), नपुंसकलिङ्गः (तोषण), चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• मन्दरे: on/at Mandara (mountain)
• मन्दरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्

• पर्वत-श्रेष्ठे: on the best of mountains
• पर्वत-श्रेष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पर्वतानां श्रेष्ठः), पुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्; विशेष्यः मन्दरः

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb of place)

• जग्मुः: went
• जग्मुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (plural), परस्मैपदम्

• महर्षयः: great sages
• महर्षयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mandara-parvata

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On Mandara, Śiva begins his dance to gladden Bhavānī; great sages arrive to witness the divine performance on the mountain stage.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• Mandara (mountain)
• Maharṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s līlā (divine play) is portrayed as sacred, and darśana of the Lord’s dance becomes a devotional goal for sages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mandara, called the foremost of mountains, is highlighted as the sacred locale where the divine event is witnessed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on pilgrimage-like gathering for darśana of Śiva’s divine dance.