Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

यः शृणोति नरो भक्त्या वाच्यमानामिमां कथाम् । गिरीशनृत्यसंबन्धामुमादेहार्द्धवर्णिताम्

Transliteration

yaḥ śṛṇoti naro bhaktyā vācyamānāmimāṃ kathām | girīśanṛtyasaṃbandhāmumādehārddhavarṇitām

Translation

ผู้ใดเป็นมนุษย์ฟังเรื่องราวศักดิ์สิทธิ์นี้ด้วยศรัทธา—อันเกี่ยวเนื่องกับการร่ายรำของคิรีศะ (พระศิวะ) และพรรณนาอุมาเป็นครึ่งหนึ่งแห่งพระวรกายของพระองค์—

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (m. nom. sg.)

• शृणोति: hears
• शृणोति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd sg. pres. P.)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (m. nom. sg.)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (f. instr. sg.)

• वाच्यमानाम्: being recited/spoken
• वाच्यमानाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of ‘kathām’/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि/आत्मनेपदी कृदन्त (passive present participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (f. acc. sg.)

• इमाम्: this
• इमाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (f. acc. sg.)

• कथाम्: story, narrative
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (f. acc. sg.)

• गिरीश-नृत्य-सम्बन्धाम्: connected with Girīśa’s (Śiva’s) dance
• गिरीश-नृत्य-सम्बन्धाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गिरीश (प्रातिपदिक) + नृत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (f. acc. sg.)

• उमा-देह-अर्द्ध-वर्णिताम्: describing the half-body of Umā
• उमा-देह-अर्द्ध-वर्णिताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्द्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्णित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (f. acc. sg.); ‘वर्णित’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (described)

Speaker

Narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya frame (deductive: Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa to sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred recitation scene: a devotee listens with folded hands as a narrator recites the tale of Śiva’s dance and Umā as half his body (Ardhanārīśvara), with a subtle aura of divine presence.

Characters & Entities

• Girīśa (Śiva)
• Umā
• Ardhanārīśvara (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional listening (bhakti-yukta śravaṇa) to sacred narratives is itself meritorious and spiritually elevating.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage functions as a phalaśruti within the same tīrtha discourse; the broader setting remains the Gaṇḍakī–Śālagrāma sacred context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa: listen with devotion to the kathā as it is recited.