Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41
एके नृत्यं प्रकुर्वंति गीतमन्ये जपं परे । अन्ये होमं द्विजश्रेष्ठा धर्माख्यानमथापरे
eke nṛtyaṃ prakurvaṃti gītamanye japaṃ pare | anye homaṃ dvijaśreṣṭhā dharmākhyānamathāpare
काही जण नृत्य करीत होते, काही गात होते, काही जप करीत होते. हे द्विजश्रेष्ठा, काही होम करीत होते आणि काही धर्मकथा-आख्यान सांगत होते.
Unspecified narrator (describing the vigil assembly at Mahākāla’s shrine)
Tirtha: Mahākāla kṣetra (implied)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brāhmaṇa/sage audience addressed as ‘dvijaśreṣṭha’ (best of brāhmaṇas) within the narration
Scene: A vibrant midnight congregation: some dance in devotion, others sing; priests chant japa; a homa fire blazes; storytellers recite dharma narratives to attentive listeners.
FAQs
Devotion has many orthodox forms—song, mantra, fire-offering, and dharma discourse—united by intent to honor the deity.
The Mahākāla shrine where a collective night vigil is underway.
Jāgara-associated observances: nṛtya, gīta, japa, homa, and dharmākhyāna.