Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

मृदंगवादनज्ञान्या काचित्ताल कलावती । काचित्कार्मणतत्त्वज्ञा काचिन्मौक्तिकगुंफिका

Transliteration

mṛdaṃgavādanajñānyā kācittāla kalāvatī | kācitkārmaṇatattvajñā kācinmauktikaguṃphikā

Translation

ഒരാൾ മൃദംഗവാദനത്തിൽ നിപുണയായി, മറ്റൊരാൾ താള‑ലയകലയിൽ പ്രാവീണ്യം നേടി. ഒരാൾ കാർമണ (കർമ്മപ്രയോഗ) തത്ത്വം അറിഞ്ഞവൾ, മറ്റൊരാൾ മുത്തുകൾ കോർത്ത മാലയുണ്ടാക്കുന്നവൾ.

Word by Word

• मृदंगवादनज्ञान्या: knowing mṛdaṅga-playing
• मृदंगवादनज्ञान्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृदङ्ग + वादन + ज्ञानिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (jñāninī: knowledgeable)

• काचित्: some (woman)
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अनिर्दिष्टा

• तालकलावती: possessing the art of rhythm/beat
• तालकलावती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ताल + कलावत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• काचित्: some (woman)
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अनिर्दिष्टा

• कार्मणतत्त्वज्ञा: knower of the principles of magical rites
• कार्मणतत्त्वज्ञा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्मण + तत्त्व + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• काचित्: some (woman)
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अनिर्दिष्टा

• मौक्तिकगुंफिका: a stringer of pearls
• मौक्तिकगुंफिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मौक्तिक + गुंफिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A temple courtyard: a mṛdaṅga player beside a tāla-keeper marking beats; a woman consulting a palm-leaf manual of rites; another stringing pearls into a necklace destined for a deity; priests and lamps nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is depicted as encompassing both devotional arts and practical crafts, indicating a sacred society where many skills coexist under dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra generally; no named tīrtha appears in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; ‘kārmaṇa-tattva’ is mentioned as knowledge, not as an instruction to perform a rite.