Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणेभ्यः प्रयच्छंति गीतं गायंत्यहर्निशम् । श्रुतावेव मनस्तेषां नाट्यशास्त्रकृतश्रमाः

Transliteration

brāhmaṇebhyaḥ prayacchaṃti gītaṃ gāyaṃtyaharniśam | śrutāveva manasteṣāṃ nāṭyaśāstrakṛtaśramāḥ

Translation

അവർ ബ്രാഹ്മണർക്കു തങ്ങളുടെ ഗാനം സമർപ്പിച്ച് പകലും രാത്രിയും പാടുന്നു. അവരുടെ മനസ് ശ്രുതിയിലേ (കേൾവിയിലെ സ്വരത്തിൽ) മാത്രം നിൽക്കുന്നു; നാട്യശാസ്ത്രവിധികളിൽ അവർ പരിശ്രമിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: to Brahmins
• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• prayacchanti: they give/bestow
• prayacchanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु) with prefix pra + यच्छ (यम्-धातोः रूपम्)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद; अर्थे = ददति (they give)

• gītam: song/music
• gītam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gīta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• gāyanti: they sing
• gāyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gai (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• aharniśam: day and night
• aharniśam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahar (प्रातिपदिक) + niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, द्वन्द्व-समास (ahar+niśā), क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• śrutau: in hearing/listening
• śrutau: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śruti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• eva: only/indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• manaḥ: mind
• manaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• nāṭyaśāstrakṛtaśramāḥ: those whose exertion is (spent) on the science of drama
• nāṭyaśāstrakṛtaśramāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nāṭyaśāstra (प्रातिपदिक; nāṭya+śāstra, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + kṛta (कृदन्त, क्त) + śrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: nāṭyaśāstreṇa kṛtaḥ śramaḥ yeṣām (whose toil is caused by the treatise of drama/performing arts)

Speaker

Gaṇas (continuing explanation)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unspecified in excerpt

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gandharvas sing continuously, offering their music to seated brāhmaṇas; manuscripts, rosaries, and ritual vessels appear; the performers show disciplined posture as if trained in śāstra.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Nāṭyaśāstra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Skill and effort become dharmic when directed as service—here, offering music to brāhmaṇas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is named; the practice is described within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotional-social practice is indicated: giving/performing gīta for brāhmaṇas (a form of seva/dāna).