Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 161

Devanagari script

गीतवाद्येन नृत्येन रमतीं दुदुभिस्वनैः । स माध्याह्निकसंध्यायामवतीर्य विमानतः

Transliteration

gītavādyena nṛtyena ramatīṃ dudubhisvanaiḥ | sa mādhyāhnikasaṃdhyāyāmavatīrya vimānataḥ

Translation

അവൾ ഗാനം, വാദ്യം, നൃത്തം എന്നിവയിൽ—ദുന്ദുഭിയുടെ നാദത്തിനിടയിൽ—രമിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ, അവൻ മധ്യാഹ്നിക സന്ധ്യാകാലത്ത് വിമാനത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഇറങ്ങി വന്നു।

Word by Word

• gīta-vādyena: with song and instrumental music
• gīta-vādyena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gīta (प्रातिपदिक) + vādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः: गीतं च वाद्यं च

• nṛtyena: with dance
• nṛtyena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• ramatīm: (her) who was delighting/playing
• ramatīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ramatī (प्रातिपदिक; √ram (रम्) + शतृ/स्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; वर्तमान कृदन्त-आधारित स्त्री 'ramatī' = 'one who is sporting/delighting'

• dudubhi-svanaiḥ: with the sounds of drums
• dudubhi-svanaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dudubhi (प्रातिपदिक) + svana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: दुदुभेः स्वनैः

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• mādhyāhnika-saṃdhyāyām: at the midday twilight (midday rite time)
• mādhyāhnika-saṃdhyāyām: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mādhyāhnika (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃdhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: माध्याह्निकी सा संध्या

• avatīrya: having descended
• avatīrya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-√tṝ (तॄ) (धातु) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (ल्यप्/क्त्वा), 'having descended'

• vimānataḥ: from the aerial car
• vimānataḥ: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vimāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The maiden and friends perform music and dance; kettle-drums resound. Above, the vimāna hovers; Śikhaṇḍī descends at the bright midday moment, casting a divine presence into the festive garden.

Characters & Entities

• Śikhaṇḍī
• sandhyā (midday rite)
• vimāna
• dudubhi (drum)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas highlight sacred time (sandhyā) alongside sacred place; dharmic life harmonizes enjoyment with remembrance of duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where even narrative events are framed by ritual time such as the midday sandhyā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implicit reference to mādhyāhnika-sandhyā (midday worship/recitation), though no step-by-step rite is described.