Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 191

Devanagari script

अवाद्यंत ततस्तत्र वेणुवीणादिझर्झराः । पणवाः पुष्कराश्चैव मृदंगपटहानकाः

Transliteration

avādyaṃta tatastatra veṇuvīṇādijharjharāḥ | paṇavāḥ puṣkarāścaiva mṛdaṃgapaṭahānakāḥ

Translation

मग त्या सभेत वेणू, वीणा इत्यादी झर्झर वाद्ये वाजू लागली. पणव, पुष्कर, मृदंग, पटह आणि आनकही निनादू लागले।

Word by Word

• अवाद्यन्त: they played (instruments)
• अवाद्यन्त: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वाद् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपद

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/अनन्तरार्थक (temporal adverb: then/thereafter)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: there)

• वेणु-वीणा-आदि-झर्झराः: jharjharas (instruments) such as flutes and vīṇās
• वेणु-वीणा-आदि-झर्झराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेणु (प्रातिपदिक) + वीणा (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + झर्झर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—आदितत्पुरुष (ādi-: ‘etc.’)

• पणवाः: paṇava drums
• पणवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पणव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• पुष्कराः: puṣkara drums
• पुष्कराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• एव: indeed, also
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle: indeed/also)

• मृदङ्ग-पटह-आनकाः: mṛdaṅgas, paṭahas, and ānakas (drums)
• मृदङ्ग-पटह-आनकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृदङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + पटह (प्रातिपदिक) + आनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; इतरेतरद्वन्द्व (copulative compound)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dense orchestra in the mandapa: flutes and vīṇās lead melodic lines while layered percussion—paṇava, puṣkara, mṛdaṅga, paṭaha, ānaka—creates a rolling festival rhythm around the deity’s presence.

Characters & Entities

• Veṇu
• Vīṇā
• Paṇava
• Puṣkara
• Mṛdaṅga
• Paṭaha
• Ānaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are marked by sacred sound—music becomes a collective act of praise and dharmic celebration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, depicted as hosting a grand divine gathering.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied upacāra: honoring the divine through vādyas (instrumental music) as part of celebratory worship.