Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

तिस्रोपि गीतं गायंति लसद्गांधारसुंदरम् । रासमंडलभेदेन लास्यं तिस्रोपि कुर्वते

Transliteration

tisropi gītaṃ gāyaṃti lasadgāṃdhārasuṃdaram | rāsamaṃḍalabhedena lāsyaṃ tisropi kurvate

Translation

Toutes trois chantaient des chants beaux, éclatants de notes de gāndhāra; et, traçant des figures du cercle de rāsa, toutes trois exécutaient une danse gracieuse.

Word by Word

• तिस्रः: the three (women)
• तिस्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन; संख्याशब्द

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: also/even)

• गीतम्: a song
• गीतम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गीत (कृदन्त; गा धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (song)

• गायन्ति: sing
• गायन्ति: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• लसद्-गान्धार-सुन्दरम्: beautiful with shining Gāndhāra (melody/note)
• लसद्-गान्धार-सुन्दरम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लसत् (कृदन्त; लस् धातु, शतृ) + गान्धार (प्रातिपदिक) + सुन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘song’); तत्पुरुषः (गान्धारे लसत्/गान्धारसम्बद्धं सुन्दरम्)

• रास-मण्डल-भेदेन: by variations of the rāsa-circle formation
• रास-मण्डल-भेदेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रास (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक) + भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (रासस्य मण्डलस्य भेदः)

• लास्यम्: graceful dance (lāsya)
• लास्यम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• तिस्रः: the three (women)
• तिस्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (also)

• कुर्वते: perform/do
• कुर्वते: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Trilocana (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three devotees sing with bright Gāndhāra notes and perform a graceful lāsya while forming shifting patterns of a rāsa-circle before the deity.

Characters & Entities

• Ratnāvalī
• Prabhāvatī
• Kalāvatī
• Trilocana/Śiva (context of worship)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Art becomes worship when offered in reverence—music and dance are portrayed as sacred offerings in the Lord’s presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the sacred setting where worship includes refined devotional arts.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devotional singing (gīta) and dance (lāsyam) as forms of worshipful offering, though not framed as a mandatory rite.