Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

उर्वश्याद्या अप्सरसो गीतवादित्रयोगतः । ननृतुः पुरतस्तस्य सर्वा एकैकशो नृप

Transliteration

urvaśyādyā apsaraso gītavāditrayogataḥ | nanṛtuḥ puratastasya sarvā ekaikaśo nṛpa

Translation

اے بادشاہ! اُروَشی اور دوسری اپسرائیں گیت اور ساز کی سنگت کے ساتھ اُس کے سامنے ناچیں؛ ہر ایک باری باری آگے بڑھ کر رقص کرتی رہی۔

Word by Word

• urvaśī-ādyāḥ: Urvaśī and others
• urvaśī-ādyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: urvaśī (उर्वशी प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (आदि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural); ‘आदि’समास (Urvaśī and others)

• apsarasaḥ: apsarases
• apsarasaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apsaras (अप्सरस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural)

• gīta-vāditra-yogataḥ: due to/with the accompaniment of song and instruments
• gīta-vāditra-yogataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: gīta (गीत प्रातिपदिक) + vāditra (वादित्र प्रातिपदिक) + yogataḥ (योगतः अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ-अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘योगतः’ = ‘by reason of/through’; समासपूर्वपद: गीत-वादित्र

• nanṛtuḥ: danced
• nanṛtuḥ: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nṛt (नृत् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• purataḥ: in front
• purataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purataḥ (पुरतः अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन (singular); सर्वनाम

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural); विशेषण

• eka-ekaśaḥ: one by one
• eka-ekaśaḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eka (एक प्रातिपदिक) + ekaśaḥ (एकशः अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (distributive adverb)

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (नृप प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrating)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Urvāśī leads a procession of apsarases who dance one by one before the enthroned figure; musicians accompany with song and instruments; the atmosphere is alluring and staged.

Characters & Entities

• Urvaśī
• Apsarases

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sensory beauty and entertainment can distract the mind; vigilance and self-mastery are implied virtues in Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it continues the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative setting associated with the Narmadā (Revā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None—this verse is narrative, describing celestial performance.