Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 4: Kuśa and Lava Meet Lord Rāmacandra
Text 1.4.10
तौ तु गान्धर्वतत्त्वज्ञौ मूर्छनास्थानकोविदौ।
भ्रातरौ स्वरसम्पन्नौ गन्धर्वाविव रूपिणौ॥
tau tu gāndharva-tattva-jñau mūrchanā-sthāna-kovidau
bhrātarau svara-sampannau gandharvāv iva rūpiṇau
tau tu = Kuśa and Lava; gāndharva-tattvajñau = were well-versed in the teachings of Vedic musicology; mūrchanā-sthāna-kovidau = expert in playing musical instruments and in articulation; bhrātarau = those brothers; svara-sampannau = endowed with a melodious voice; gandharvau iva= like gandharvas; rūpiṇau = and handsome.
Kuśa and Lava were well-versed in the teachings of Vedic musicology, expert in playing musical instruments and in articulation. Those brothers were endowed with a melodious voice, and handsome like gandharvas.
Śrī Vālmīki now states that Kuśa and Lava were capable of singing the Rāmāyaṇa. Gāndharva refers to the scriptures that describe singing [19]. They knew the import of these scriptures. Mūrchanā indicates that they knew how to play the vīṇā and other musical instruments [20]. Sthāna refers to the three octaves articulated in the three places of articulation—the chest, the throat and the palate, as noted by Śāṇḍilya [21]. The boys were well-versed in such knowledge, meaning, knowledge of the scriptures on music, knowledge on how to play musical instruments such as the vīṇā and expertise on how to articulate on the basis of such scriptural knowledge. Because they were brothers with melodious voices, their voices were at pace with each other, and therefore they were attractive to the ears. Svara-sampannau also indicates that they were well-built. Therefore, they were handsome like gandharvas disguised as human beings.