Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

तदालापामृतधयौ न मे शब्दग्रहौ प्रिये । प्राणेश्वरि तदारभ्य स्यातां शब्दांतरग्रहौ

Transliteration

tadālāpāmṛtadhayau na me śabdagrahau priye | prāṇeśvari tadārabhya syātāṃ śabdāṃtaragrahau

Translation

പ്രിയേ—ഹേ പ്രാണേശ്വരി! അവളുടെ സംഭാഷണാമൃതധാരയിൽ നിന്ന് ഞാൻ വഞ്ചിതനായതുമുതൽ, എന്റെ ചെവികൾ യഥാർത്ഥ ശബ്ദം ഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നില്ല; അന്നുമുതൽ അവ അവളുടെ വാണിശൂന്യമായ ‘മറ്റു ശബ്ദങ്ങൾ’ മാത്രമേ പിടിക്കൂ।

Word by Word

• tad-ālāpa-amṛta-dhayau: the two drinkers of the nectar of her speech
• tad-ālāpa-amṛta-dhayau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम) + ālāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + amṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + dhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (तस्य आलापः अमृतम् इव; तस्य अमृतस्य धयौ/पानकर्तारौ)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• me: of me, my
• me: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th) / चतुर्थी (4th) एकवचन-रूप; अत्र षष्ठी (of me)

• śabda-grahau: the two graspers of sound (ears)
• śabda-grahau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śabda (प्रातिपदिक) + graha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śabdasya grahau)

• priye: O beloved
• priye: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; संबोधन

• prāṇa-īśvari: O mistress of my life
• prāṇa-īśvari: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (prāṇānām īśvarī)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• ārabhya: starting from
• ārabhya: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-√rabh (धातु) + lyap (कृत्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (from that time onward)

• syātām: may they be / became (optative)
• syātām: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन; परस्मैपद

• śabda-antara-grahau: the two graspers of other sounds
• śabda-antara-grahau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śabda (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक) + graha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; तत्पुरुष (śabdāntarasya grahau)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (nāda/śabda sanctity)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A close, intimate portrayal: Śiva touching his ears or holding a hand near the ear in a gesture of ‘no longer hearing’, with the absence of Gaurī suggested by an empty space or fading sound-waves.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It teaches that true ‘hearing’ becomes meaningful when oriented to the Divine; without that presence, worldly sounds feel hollow.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī-khaṇḍa framework glorifies Kāśī, but this verse is primarily an inner, devotional reflection rather than a site-description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual instruction appears; the verse elevates sacred speech and listening as devotional ideals.