Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

यस्तु रात्रिदिनं विप्रो नृत्यगीतादिकं ददेत् । चतुरो वार्षिकान्मासान्स गन्धर्वत्वमाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

yastu rātridinaṃ vipro nṛtyagītādikaṃ dadet | caturo vārṣikānmāsānsa gandharvatvamāpnuyāt

Translation

ଯେ ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣ ପ୍ରତିବର୍ଷ ଚାରି ମାସ ରାତିଦିନ ନୃତ୍ୟ-ଗୀତ ଆଦିର ବ୍ୟବସ୍ଥା/ଅର୍ପଣ କରେ, ସେ ଗନ୍ଧର୍ବତ୍ୱ ପ୍ରାପ୍ତ କରେ।

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकः

• tu: but / indeed
• tu: Sambandha/Discourse (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• rātridinam: day and night
• rātridinam: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक) + dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन रूपेण अव्ययवत्; अर्थः—रात्रौ दिने च (day and night)

• vipraḥ: a brāhmaṇa
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• nṛtyagītādikam: dance, song, etc. (as a gift/arrangement)
• nṛtyagītādikam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛtya (प्रातिपदिक) + gīta (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + ka (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—नृत्यगीतादि (तत्पुरुष)

• dadet: should give
• dadet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातुः—दा (to give)

• caturo: four
• caturo: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• vārṣikān: annual / of a year
• vārṣikān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vārṣika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; विशेषण (annual/pertaining to a year)

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• gandharvatvam: the state of being a Gandharva
• gandharvatvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandharva (प्रातिपदिक) + tva (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (त्व)

• āpnuyāt: would obtain
• āpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातुः—आप् (to obtain)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāturmāsya saṅgīta-nṛtya-dāna at Viṣṇu-kṣetra (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Brāhmaṇa patron arranges continuous kīrtana and dance in a temple for four months; musicians rotate day and night; at the culmination, a luminous Gandharva form is hinted above him with vīṇā.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa (vipra)
• Gandharva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained support of sacred worship and temple arts is praised as a powerful form of dāna that transforms one’s destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A specific tirtha is not named; the practice is framed as ongoing service in a devotional setting over four sacred months.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

For four months annually, continuously provide/arrange devotional dance and music offerings (nṛtya-gīta) as religious service.