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

Tumburu und Nārada—beide sind selbst unter den Göttern überaus selten. Denn Śiva selbst ist die Gestalt des Nāda, des heiligen Klanges, und jene zwei sind wahrlich Kenner des Prinzips des Nāda.

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.