Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

चतुरक्षरवाद्येन सुवाद्यं चाकरोत्पुनः । तालक्रियां महेशाय दर्शयामास केशवः

Transliteration

caturakṣaravādyena suvādyaṃ cākarotpunaḥ | tālakriyāṃ maheśāya darśayāmāsa keśavaḥ

Translation

पुन्हा ‘चतुरक्षर’ नावाच्या वाद्याने त्याने अतिशय मधुर संगीत निर्माण केले. आणि केशवांनी महेशासाठी ताल-क्रिया (लय-प्रदर्शन) दाखविली.

Word by Word

• caturakṣaravādyena: with the caturakṣara instrument/measure
• caturakṣaravādyena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur + akṣara + vādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः catur-akṣara-vādya (तत्पुरुषः: ‘चतुरक्षरं वाद्यम्’/‘four-syllable instrument/measure’)

• suvādyam: good/pleasant music
• suvādyam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su + vādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः su-vādya (कर्मधारयः: ‘सुन्दरं वाद्यम्’)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• akarot: did/made/performed
• akarot: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• tālakriyām: rhythmic beat-pattern
• tālakriyām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāla + kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः tāla-kriyā (तत्पुरुषः: ‘तालस्य क्रिया’/‘rhythmic beat-action’)

• maheśāya: for Maheśa (Śiva)
• maheśāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः mahā + īśa (कर्मधारयः)

• darśayāmāsa: showed/demonstrated
• darśayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; causative stem (darśaya-) ‘caused to see/showed’

• keśavaḥ: Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• keśavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; exact speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Keśava (Viṣṇu), radiant and composed, demonstrates intricate tāla-kriyā before Maheśa while a caturakṣara instrument sounds; the divine audience watches as worship becomes performance, with Śiva receiving it as offering.

Characters & Entities

• Keśava
• Maheśa
• Caturakṣara (vādya)
• Tāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine harmony is shown through service: Keśava honors Maheśa by offering rhythm and musical excellence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions within a tīrtha-māhātmya performance scene; it does not specify a distinct place-name in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tāla-kriyā (rhythmic demonstration) and vādya-playing are depicted as offerings to Maheśa.