Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

तुंबुरुर्ना रदश्चोभौ देवानामतिदुर्लभौ । नादरूपी शिवः साक्षान्नादतत्त्वविदौ हि तौ

Transliteration

tuṃbururnā radaścobhau devānāmatidurlabhau | nādarūpī śivaḥ sākṣānnādatattvavidau hi tau

Translation

تومبورو ونارادا—كلاهما نادران غاية الندرة حتى بين الآلهة؛ فإن شيفا نفسه هو صورة النادا، الصوت المقدّس، وهذان حقًّا عارفان بحقيقة النادا.

Word by Word

• तुंबुरुः: Tumburu
• तुंबुरुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुंबुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Avyaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: उभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• अतिदुर्लभौ: very hard to obtain
• अतिदुर्लभौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति-दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक; उपसर्गपूर्वक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; उभयोः विशेषणम्

• नादरूपी: whose form is sound
• नादरूपी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाद-रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; शिवस्य विशेषणम्; विग्रहः: नादः रूपं यस्य (having sound as form)

• शिवः: Śiva
• शिवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• साक्षात्: directly, in person
• साक्षात्: Sambandha/Avyaya (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साक्षात् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: directly, manifestly)

• नादतत्त्वविदौ: knowers of the truth of sound
• नादतत्त्वविदौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Appositional epithet/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाद-तत्त्व-विद् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; तुंबुरु-नारदयोः विशेषण/उपाधि; विग्रहः: नादस्य तत्त्वं वेदितुम् समर्थौ (knowers of the principle of sound)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (assertive particle)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tumburu and Nārada depicted as celestial musicians, poised in reverent knowledge; behind them an abstract visualization of Śiva as vibrating nāda—concentric sound-waves emerging from a liṅga or from Śiva’s ḍamaru.

Characters & Entities

• Tumburu
• Nārada
• Śiva
• Nāda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mystic sound (Nāda) is divine; Śiva is identified with Nāda, and true musicians-sages are honored as knowers of that reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching appears within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting, supporting Kāśī’s sanctity as a realm of Śiva and sacred sound.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is given; the verse establishes a theological basis for devotional music and nāda-upāsanā.