Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

तत्र स्थित्वा चिरं श्रुत्वा गंधर्वाणां मनोहरम् । गीतं दृष्ट्वा च नृत्यं च तानादिविहितं शुभम्

Transliteration

tatra sthitvā ciraṃ śrutvā gaṃdharvāṇāṃ manoharam | gītaṃ dṛṣṭvā ca nṛtyaṃ ca tānādivihitaṃ śubham

Translation

เขาพำนักอยู่ที่นั่นเนิ่นนาน สดับฟังบทเพลงอันไพเราะของเหล่าคันธรรพ์ และได้ทอดพระเนตรการร่ายรำอันเป็นมงคล ที่ประกอบด้วยทำนองและจังหวะอย่างงดงาม

Word by Word

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

• स्थित्वा: having stayed
• स्थित्वा: क्रियाविशेषण (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having stood/stayed)

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Time adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: क्रियाविशेषण (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having heard)

• गन्धर्वाणाम्: of the Gandharvas
• गन्धर्वाणाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); बहुवचन

• मनोहरम्: charming
• मनोहरम्: कर्मविशेषण (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying gītam/nṛtyam)

• गीतम्: song
• गीतम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गीत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: क्रियाविशेषण (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• नृत्यम्: dance
• नृत्यम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• तानादिविहितम्: arranged with tāna etc. (musical measures)
• तानादिविहितम्: कर्मविशेषण (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तान + आदि + विहित (प्रातिपदिक); √धा/हि (धातु) से 'विहित' (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तानादिभिः विहितम् = arranged with tāna etc.)

• शुभम्: auspicious, excellent
• शुभम्: कर्मविशेषण (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant sacred precinct where the beneficiary lingers; Gandharvas sing while apsaras-like dancers perform in precise tāla and tāna; the atmosphere is auspicious, luminous, and celebratory.

Characters & Entities

• Gandharvas
• King
• Indra’s court (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit leads to refined, auspicious experience—where beauty (śubha) becomes a manifestation of divine order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the divine court/realm (implicitly Indra’s assembly), not a named terrestrial tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes the celestial environment and its auspicious arts.