Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

यथायथा नृत्यमाना स्वगात्रं विधुनोति च । तथातथा धुनोत्येव यत्पापं प्रकृतं पुरा

Transliteration

yathāyathā nṛtyamānā svagātraṃ vidhunoti ca | tathātathā dhunotyeva yatpāpaṃ prakṛtaṃ purā

Translation

அவள் எவ்வெவ்வாறு நடனமாடி தன் அங்கங்களை அசைக்கிறாளோ, அவ்வவ்வாறே முன்பு செய்த பாவங்களையும் உறுதியாகக் களைந்து விடுகிறாள்।

Word by Word

• yathā-yathā: as and as; in whatever manner
• yathā-yathā: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोगः (reduplicated adverbial correlatives)

• nṛtyamānā: dancing
• nṛtyamānā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nṛt (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)

• sva-gātram: one's own body/limbs
• sva-gātram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + gātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'one's own'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.)

• vidhunoti: shakes off; shakes
• vidhunoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-dhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल/present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg.)

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

• tathā-tathā: so and so; in that same manner
• tathā-tathā: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोगः (correlative adverb)

• dhunoti: shakes off
• dhunoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल/present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg.)

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.); विशेषण-रूपेण

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.)

• prakṛtam: done; committed
• prakṛtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-kṛ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकाले क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.); विशेषण-रूपेण

• purā: formerly; earlier
• purā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted woman dances in a sacred precinct; with each rhythmic shake of limbs, dark wisps symbolizing past sins fall away, while the tīrtha’s sanctity glows around her.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī (Devī)
• Nṛtya (devotional dance)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Embodied devotion is purifying: sincere worship expressed through dance is depicted as actively cleansing past wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sāvitrī-devī sacred site within Nāgarakhaṇḍa, Tīrthamāhātmya, Adhyāya 192.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devotional nṛtya (dance) before the Devī is presented as a purificatory act that removes prior sins.