Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 100

Devanagari script

हुंकृतैस्तलशब्दैश्च तालशब्दैः पुनःपुनः । देशभाषाविभाषिण्यो रामामण्डलमध्यतः । हास्यनृत्यसमायुक्ता राजन्दामोदराग्रतः

Transliteration

huṃkṛtaistalaśabdaiśca tālaśabdaiḥ punaḥpunaḥ | deśabhāṣāvibhāṣiṇyo rāmāmaṇḍalamadhyataḥ | hāsyanṛtyasamāyuktā rājandāmodarāgrataḥ

Translation

ഹുങ്കാരങ്ങളും കൈയടിയുടെ ശബ്ദങ്ങളും വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും താളനാദങ്ങളും ഉയരുമ്പോൾ, ദേശഭാഷകളിൽ സംസാരിച്ചുകൊണ്ട്, സ്ത്രീമണ്ഡലത്തിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യേ അവർ ഹാസ്യനൃത്തസമയുക്തരായി, ഹേ രാജാവേ, ദാമോദരന്റെ സന്നിധിയിൽ ക്രീഡിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• हुंकृतैः: with ‘huṃ’ cries
• हुंकृतैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुं + कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘with huṃ-sounds’ (onomatopoeic + कृदन्त)

• तलशब्दैः: with clapping sounds
• तलशब्दैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल + शब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘with clapping sounds’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction) ‘and’

• तालशब्दैः: with rhythmic beats
• तालशब्दैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताल + शब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘with rhythmic/beat sounds’

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) ‘again’

• पुनः: again and again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) (repetition for emphasis)

• देशभाषाविभाषिण्यः: women speaking local dialects
• देशभाषाविभाषिण्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देश + भाषा + वि + भाषिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘speaking regional languages’

• रामामण्डलमध्यतः: from the midst of the women’s circle
• रामामण्डलमध्यतः: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: रामा + मण्डल + मध्य + तः (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; ‘from the middle of the circle of women’ (मध्य + तः = ablatival adverb)

• हास्यनृत्यसमायुक्ताः: engaged in laughter and dance
• हास्यनृत्यसमायुक्ताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हास्य + नृत्य + सम् + युक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘endowed with laughter and dance’

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• दामोदराग्रतः: before Dāmodara
• दामोदराग्रतः: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दामोदर + अग्र + तः (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; ‘in front of Dāmodara’ (अग्र + तः = adverb ‘before’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced; vocative 'rājan' indicates narration to a king-listener within frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (within Prabhāsa) – Dāmodara-sannidhi

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājan) addressed in the verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circular ring of women in festive attire clap and strike rhythm, calling out in regional tongues, laughing and dancing before the image/shrine of Dāmodara; attendants keep time with hand-cymbals and drums.

Characters & Entities

• Dāmodara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti may be expressed through communal joy—rhythm, speech, and dance—when centered on the deity; sacred celebration becomes worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in Prabhāsa, specifically the worship-space ‘before Dāmodara’ where vigil festivities occur.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotional vigil-style practice: communal rhythmic clapping/beat-keeping and celebratory performance before Dāmodara (as part of the night observance).