Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

डमड्डमरुकव्यग्र हस्ताग्रः खंडचंद्रभृत् । तांडवाडंबररुचिः सर्वामंगल चेष्टितः

Transliteration

ḍamaḍḍamarukavyagra hastāgraḥ khaṃḍacaṃdrabhṛt | tāṃḍavāḍaṃbararuciḥ sarvāmaṃgala ceṣṭitaḥ

Translation

His hand is busily set upon the ḍamaru drum; He bears the crescent moon. Radiant with the splendour of the tāṇḍava’s majestic flourish, His every movement is the source of all auspiciousness.

Word by Word

• ḍamaḍḍamaruka-vyagraḥ: intent on the ḍamaru drum
• ḍamaḍḍamaruka-vyagraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ḍamaḍḍamaruka (प्रातिपदिक; डमरु-वाद्य) + vyagra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (डमड्डमरुके व्यग्रः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• hastāgraḥ: the tip/front of the hand
• hastāgraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasta (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (हस्तस्य अग्रः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• khaṇḍa-candra-bhṛt: bearing the crescent moon
• khaṇḍa-candra-bhṛt: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: khaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + candra (प्रातिपदिक) + bhṛt (√bhṛ धातु, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (खंडचंद्रं बिभर्ति इति); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tāṃḍava-āḍambara-ruciḥ: radiant with the grandeur of the tāṇḍava
• tāṃḍava-āḍambara-ruciḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāṃḍava (प्रातिपदिक) + āḍambara (प्रातिपदिक) + ruci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तांडवस्य आडंबररुचिः / splendid in the pomp of dance); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarva-amaṃgala-ceṣṭitaḥ: whose deeds (ward off) all inauspiciousness
• sarva-amaṃgala-ceṣṭitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + amaṃgala (प्रातिपदिक) + ceṣṭita (√ceṣṭ धातु + kta)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वामंगलं चेष्टितं यस्य / whose actions remove all inauspiciousness); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

A householder/elder (contextual; praising Śiva’s attributes)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva mid-tāṇḍava: one hand vigorously sounding the ḍamaru, crescent moon shining on his matted locks, body radiant with the flourish of dance; the air itself feels auspicious.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Ḍamaru
• Crescent Moon (Candra)
• Tāṇḍava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s cosmic dance and symbols (ḍamaru, crescent moon) signify that the divine governs and transforms all states into auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, celebrating Kāśī as the theatre of Śiva’s supreme presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual instruction appears; the verse functions as praise (stuti) through iconographic description.