Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

ताना एकोनपंचाश ताला एकोत्तरंशतम् । रागाः षडेव तेषां तु पंचपंचापि चांगनाः

Transliteration

tānā ekonapaṃcāśa tālā ekottaraṃśatam | rāgāḥ ṣaḍeva teṣāṃ tu paṃcapaṃcāpi cāṃganāḥ

Translation

താനങ്ങൾ ഒൻപത്തൊൻപത് അല്ല, ഒൻപത്തൊൻപത്? (ശുദ്ധം) താനങ്ങൾ നാല്പത്തൊമ്പത്; താളങ്ങൾ നൂറ്റൊന്ന്. രാഗങ്ങൾ ആറു; അവയിൽ ഓരോന്നിനും അഞ്ചഞ്ച് ‘അംഗനകൾ’ (ഉപരാഗങ്ങൾ/സഹചര രാഗങ്ങൾ) കൂടിയുണ്ടായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तानाः: tāna-s (musical notes/intonations)
• तानाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• एकोनपञ्चाशत्: forty-nine
• एकोनपञ्चाशत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (संख्या) + ऊन (प्रातिपदिक) + पञ्चाशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्याशब्द: ‘one less than fifty’ (=49)

• तालाः: tāla-s (rhythmic cycles)
• तालाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• एकोत्तरशतम्: one hundred and one
• एकोत्तरशतम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (संख्या) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्याशब्द: ‘a hundred plus one’ (=101)

• रागाः: rāga-s (melodic modes)
• रागाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• षट्: six
• षट्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (अव्ययवत्) संख्याविशेषण, प्रथमा, बहुवचनार्थे

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphasis)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• तु: and/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विशेष/विरोध (particle)

• पञ्चपञ्च: five each
• पञ्चपञ्च: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्याविशेषण (reduplicated distributive), बहुवचनार्थे: ‘five each’

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (additive)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अङ्गनाः: women/maidens
• अङ्गनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (nāda-kṣetra ethos)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A schematic yet poetic visualization: a musician-singer surrounded by concentric circles labeled as 49 tānas and 101 tālas; six principal rāgas personified as regal figures, each with ten ‘consorts’ (five and five) as attendant maidens—an allegory of rāga-rāgiṇī tradition.

Characters & Entities

• tāna
• tāla
• rāga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic narrative celebrates refined knowledge (music) as an outcome that can accompany karmic transformation in a sacred setting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader glorification remains Kāśī-kṣetra within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse catalogs traditional musical categories (tāna, tāla, rāga and their associates).