Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

स्पृहणीयास्तु देवेभ्यो ये नराः कृष्णजागरे । नृत्यं गीतं प्रकुर्वंति वीणावाद्यं तथैव च

Transliteration

spṛhaṇīyāstu devebhyo ye narāḥ kṛṣṇajāgare | nṛtyaṃ gītaṃ prakurvaṃti vīṇāvādyaṃ tathaiva ca

Translation

കൃഷ്ണജാഗരണത്തിൽ നൃത്തവും ഗാനവും ചെയ്ത്, കൂടാതെ വീണാവാദ്യവും വായിക്കുന്നവർ ദേവന്മാർക്കും പോലും സ്പൃഹണീയരാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• spṛhaṇīyāḥ: desirable
• spṛhaṇīyāḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: spṛhaṇīya (प्रातिपदिक; √spṛh (धातु) + अनीय)
• Form: कृदन्त (अनीय-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — ‘स्पृहणीयाः’ (desirable/longed-for)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; विरोध/विभेद)

• devebhyaḥ: than the gods
• devebhyaḥ: Apadana (Ablative of comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), बहुवचन — अपादान/तुलना (than the gods)

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• narāḥ: people
• narāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — ‘नराः’ (men/people)

• kṛṣṇa-jāgare: in Krishna’s vigil
• kṛṣṇa-jāgare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + jāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — ‘कृष्णस्य जागरे’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; अधिकरणम् (in Krishna’s vigil)

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

• gītam: song
• gītam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gīta (प्रातिपदिक; √gai (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — कर्म (object)

• prakurvanti: perform
• prakurvanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — परस्मैपद; ‘प्रकुर्वन्ति’ (they perform/do)

• vīṇā-vādyam: vīṇā-playing
• vīṇā-vādyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīṇā (प्रातिपदिक) + vādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘वीणायाः वाद्यम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; कर्म (object)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘तथा’ (thus/likewise)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; अवधारण)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/ conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Dvārakā Māhātmya narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṛṣṇa-jāgara (Dvārakā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lamp-lit temple courtyard at night: devotees sing and dance before Kṛṣṇa, a vīṇā player seated near the front, while devas watch from the sky with admiration, showering flowers.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Devas
• Vīṇā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional arts (song, dance, music) offered in Kṛṣṇa’s vigil are exalted as a high form of worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, where Kṛṣṇa’s worship and night-vigil are praised in the Dvārakā Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Keeping vigil with kīrtana—singing, dancing, and instrumental music—during Kṛṣṇa/Hari jāgaraṇa.