Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

शक्रं कोपयता पूर्वमस्मद्गोत्रेण केनचित् । पक्षहीनः कृतो यत्र धिगपक्षस्यचेष्टितम्

Transliteration

śakraṃ kopayatā pūrvamasmadgotreṇa kenacit | pakṣahīnaḥ kṛto yatra dhigapakṣasyaceṣṭitam

Translation

«Einst erzürnte jemand aus unserem eigenen Geschlecht Śakra (Indra), und dort—darum—wurde er flügellos gemacht. Pfui über das Mühen dessen, der ohne Flügel ist!»

Word by Word

• śakram: Śakra (Indra)
• śakram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• kopayatā: by (one) who angered
• kopayatā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kup (धातु) + copaya (णिच् causative)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘कोपयता’ = by (someone) causing anger

• pūrvam: formerly
• pūrvam: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (formerly)

• asmat: our
• asmat: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासपूर्वपद (asmat-gotra)

• gotreṇa: by the lineage/clan
• gotreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• kenacit: by someone
• kenacit: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अनिर्दिष्ट (someone)

• pakṣahīnaḥ: wingless; deprived of wings
• pakṣahīnaḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्/तत्पुरुषार्थे (pakṣaiḥ hīnaḥ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• kṛtaḥ: was made
• kṛtaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) + kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावे ‘made’ (elliptic passive)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धवाचक/यत्र = where

• dhik: shame on!
• dhik: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhik (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निन्दार्थक निपात (interjection of censure)

• apakṣasya: of the wingless one
• apakṣasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• ceṣṭitam: deed; attempt
• ceṣṭitam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √ceṣṭ (धातु) + ceṣṭita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भाववाचक (act/deed)

Speaker

Skanda (narrating/quoting; deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (frame); Indra-loka (allusion)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi audience (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wingless bird-like figure (or a person with broken feathered adornment) looks upward toward Indra’s distant throne; the speaker gestures in frustration, while the Kāśī skyline hints that refuge lies elsewhere.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Despair often interprets life through inherited blame and helplessness; dharma redirects one toward constructive refuge rather than self-condemnation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly Kāśī, where karmic burdens are said to be lightened by devotion to Viśveśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.