Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

आयुर्वेदं विचार्यापि नाट्यवेदे कृतश्रमः । अर्थशास्त्राण्यनेकानि प्राप्याश्वगजचेष्टितम्

Transliteration

āyurvedaṃ vicāryāpi nāṭyavede kṛtaśramaḥ | arthaśāstrāṇyanekāni prāpyāśvagajaceṣṭitam

Translation

ആയുര്‍വേദം ആലോചിച്ച്, നാട്യവേദത്തില്‍ പരിശ്രമിച്ചു; അനേകം അര്‍ഥശാസ്ത്രങ്ങള്‍ നേടി, അശ്വ-ഗജങ്ങളുടെ ചലനവും പരിശീലനവും പഠിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• आयुर्वेदम्: Ayurveda
• आयुर्वेदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आयुषः वेदः)

• विचार्य: having considered
• विचार्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-चर् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having considered/examined’

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘also/even’

• नाट्यवेदे: in the Nāṭyaveda
• नाट्यवेदे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाट्य (प्रातिपदिक) + वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नाट्यस्य वेदः)

• कृतश्रमः: one who has exerted effort
• कृतश्रमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातु, क्त) + श्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘कृतः श्रमः यस्य’ इति भावे बहुव्रीहिवत् विशेषणप्रयोगः)

• अर्थशास्त्राणि: treatises on polity/wealth
• अर्थशास्त्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अर्थस्य शास्त्रम्)

• अनेकानि: many
• अनेकानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (अर्थशास्त्राणि)

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having obtained/learned’

• अश्वगजचेष्टितम्: the handling/behavior of horses and elephants
• अश्वगजचेष्टितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + गज (प्रातिपदिक) + चेष्टित (चेष्ट् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (अश्वगजौ) + तत्पुरुषः (अश्वगजयोः चेष्टितम्)

Speaker

Agastya (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned brāhmaṇa in Kāśī, surrounded by palm-leaf manuscripts and instruments of arts—medical texts, dramaturgy props, and royal training imagery of horses and elephants—suggesting a life of accomplished worldly disciplines.

Characters & Entities

• Āyurveda
• Nāṭyaveda
• Arthaśāstra
• Horses
• Elephants

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly competencies and refined arts are acknowledged, yet the narrative implies that liberation requires something beyond accomplishment—devotion and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha in this verse; it supports the larger Kāśī-centered mahātmya by building the protagonist’s background.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it enumerates disciplines studied.