Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 100

Devanagari script

हुंकृतैस्तलशब्दैश्च तालशब्दैः पुनःपुनः । देशभाषाविभाषिण्यो रामामण्डलमध्यतः । हास्यनृत्यसमायुक्ता राजन्दामोदराग्रतः

Transliteration

huṃkṛtaistalaśabdaiśca tālaśabdaiḥ punaḥpunaḥ | deśabhāṣāvibhāṣiṇyo rāmāmaṇḍalamadhyataḥ | hāsyanṛtyasamāyuktā rājandāmodarāgrataḥ

Translation

ہونکاروں، تالیوں کی آوازوں اور بار بار تال کی تھاپ کے ساتھ—علاقائی بولیاں بولتی ہوئی—عورتوں کے حلقے کے بیچ، اے راجن، دامودر کے سامنے ہنسی اور رقص کے ساتھ مشغول رہتی ہیں۔

Word by Word

• हुंकृतैः: with ‘huṃ’ cries
• हुंकृतैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुं + कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘with huṃ-sounds’ (onomatopoeic + कृदन्त)

• तलशब्दैः: with clapping sounds
• तलशब्दैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल + शब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘with clapping sounds’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction) ‘and’

• तालशब्दैः: with rhythmic beats
• तालशब्दैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताल + शब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘with rhythmic/beat sounds’

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) ‘again’

• पुनः: again and again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) (repetition for emphasis)

• देशभाषाविभाषिण्यः: women speaking local dialects
• देशभाषाविभाषिण्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देश + भाषा + वि + भाषिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘speaking regional languages’

• रामामण्डलमध्यतः: from the midst of the women’s circle
• रामामण्डलमध्यतः: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: रामा + मण्डल + मध्य + तः (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; ‘from the middle of the circle of women’ (मध्य + तः = ablatival adverb)

• हास्यनृत्यसमायुक्ताः: engaged in laughter and dance
• हास्यनृत्यसमायुक्ताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हास्य + नृत्य + सम् + युक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘endowed with laughter and dance’

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• दामोदराग्रतः: before Dāmodara
• दामोदराग्रतः: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दामोदर + अग्र + तः (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; ‘in front of Dāmodara’ (अग्र + तः = adverb ‘before’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced; vocative 'rājan' indicates narration to a king-listener within frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (within Prabhāsa) – Dāmodara-sannidhi

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājan) addressed in the verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circular ring of women in festive attire clap and strike rhythm, calling out in regional tongues, laughing and dancing before the image/shrine of Dāmodara; attendants keep time with hand-cymbals and drums.

Characters & Entities

• Dāmodara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti may be expressed through communal joy—rhythm, speech, and dance—when centered on the deity; sacred celebration becomes worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in Prabhāsa, specifically the worship-space ‘before Dāmodara’ where vigil festivities occur.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotional vigil-style practice: communal rhythmic clapping/beat-keeping and celebratory performance before Dāmodara (as part of the night observance).