Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

उर्वश्याद्या अप्सरसो गीतवादित्रयोगतः । ननृतुः पुरतस्तस्य सर्वा एकैकशो नृप

Transliteration

urvaśyādyā apsaraso gītavāditrayogataḥ | nanṛtuḥ puratastasya sarvā ekaikaśo nṛpa

Translation

हे नृपा! उर्वशी आदी अप्सरा गीत-वाद्यांच्या संगतीने त्याच्यासमोर नाचल्या; सर्वांनी एकेक करून पुढे येत नृत्य केले.

Word by Word

• urvaśī-ādyāḥ: Urvaśī and others
• urvaśī-ādyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: urvaśī (उर्वशी प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (आदि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural); ‘आदि’समास (Urvaśī and others)

• apsarasaḥ: apsarases
• apsarasaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apsaras (अप्सरस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural)

• gīta-vāditra-yogataḥ: due to/with the accompaniment of song and instruments
• gīta-vāditra-yogataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: gīta (गीत प्रातिपदिक) + vāditra (वादित्र प्रातिपदिक) + yogataḥ (योगतः अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ-अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘योगतः’ = ‘by reason of/through’; समासपूर्वपद: गीत-वादित्र

• nanṛtuḥ: danced
• nanṛtuḥ: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nṛt (नृत् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• purataḥ: in front
• purataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purataḥ (पुरतः अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन (singular); सर्वनाम

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural); विशेषण

• eka-ekaśaḥ: one by one
• eka-ekaśaḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eka (एक प्रातिपदिक) + ekaśaḥ (एकशः अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (distributive adverb)

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (नृप प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrating)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Urvāśī leads a procession of apsarases who dance one by one before the enthroned figure; musicians accompany with song and instruments; the atmosphere is alluring and staged.

Characters & Entities

• Urvaśī
• Apsarases

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sensory beauty and entertainment can distract the mind; vigilance and self-mastery are implied virtues in Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it continues the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative setting associated with the Narmadā (Revā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None—this verse is narrative, describing celestial performance.