Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

चतुरक्षरवाद्येन सुवाद्यं चाकरोत्पुनः । तालक्रियां महेशाय दर्शयामास केशवः

Transliteration

caturakṣaravādyena suvādyaṃ cākarotpunaḥ | tālakriyāṃ maheśāya darśayāmāsa keśavaḥ

Translation

پھر ‘چتوراکشر’ نامی ساز سے اس نے نہایت عمدہ نغمہ پیدا کیا؛ اور کیشو نے مہیش کے لیے تال کریا، یعنی لے کی پیشکش دکھائی۔

Word by Word

• caturakṣaravādyena: with the caturakṣara instrument/measure
• caturakṣaravādyena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur + akṣara + vādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः catur-akṣara-vādya (तत्पुरुषः: ‘चतुरक्षरं वाद्यम्’/‘four-syllable instrument/measure’)

• suvādyam: good/pleasant music
• suvādyam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su + vādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः su-vādya (कर्मधारयः: ‘सुन्दरं वाद्यम्’)

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

• akarot: did/made/performed
• akarot: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• tālakriyām: rhythmic beat-pattern
• tālakriyām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāla + kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः tāla-kriyā (तत्पुरुषः: ‘तालस्य क्रिया’/‘rhythmic beat-action’)

• maheśāya: for Maheśa (Śiva)
• maheśāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः mahā + īśa (कर्मधारयः)

• darśayāmāsa: showed/demonstrated
• darśayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; causative stem (darśaya-) ‘caused to see/showed’

• keśavaḥ: Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• keśavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; exact speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Keśava (Viṣṇu), radiant and composed, demonstrates intricate tāla-kriyā before Maheśa while a caturakṣara instrument sounds; the divine audience watches as worship becomes performance, with Śiva receiving it as offering.

Characters & Entities

• Keśava
• Maheśa
• Caturakṣara (vādya)
• Tāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine harmony is shown through service: Keśava honors Maheśa by offering rhythm and musical excellence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions within a tīrtha-māhātmya performance scene; it does not specify a distinct place-name in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tāla-kriyā (rhythmic demonstration) and vādya-playing are depicted as offerings to Maheśa.