Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

क्षुधांधोपि न गृह्णाति सोपि तस्माद्बिभेति नो । प्रसूयमानां हरिणीं दृष्ट्वा कारुण्यपूर्णदृक्

Transliteration

kṣudhāṃdhopi na gṛhṇāti sopi tasmādbibheti no | prasūyamānāṃ hariṇīṃ dṛṣṭvā kāruṇyapūrṇadṛk

Translation

Selbst vom Hunger geblendet ergreift er sie nicht; und auch sie fürchtet ihn nicht. Als er die Hirschkuh in den Wehen der Geburt sieht, erfüllt sich sein Blick mit Mitgefühl.

Word by Word

• क्षुधा: by hunger
• क्षुधा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षुधा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; हेतुकरणे (instrumental of cause)

• अन्धः: blind
• अन्धः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying the implied subject)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ (also/even)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• गृह्णाति: takes/seizes
• गृह्णाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय (also)

• तस्मात्: from him/therefore
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative)

• बिभेति: fears
• बिभेति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भी (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• नः: indeed/at all
• नः: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नः (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात/प्रयोगविशेष; पदपूरण/उद्गारार्थ (emphatic particle; here: indeed/at all)

• प्रसूयमानाम्: giving birth (in labor)
• प्रसूयमानाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-√सू (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त (present participle, middle sense), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• हरिणीम्: a doe
• हरिणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (Adverbial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकाल (having seen)

• कारुण्यपूर्णदृक्: having eyes full of compassion
• कारुण्यपूर्णदृक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कारुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + दृक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—(कारुण्येन पूर्णा) दृक् यस्य सः/सा (compassion-filled gaze); विशेषण (of the subject)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tiger pauses before a doe in labor; the forest path near Kāśī is calm, suffused with sacred light; the tiger’s eyes soften with compassion as the doe gives birth.

Characters & Entities

• hariṇī (doe)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassion (dayā) restrains violence even under extreme hunger; ahiṃsā is upheld as a higher dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader discourse belongs to Kāśī-māhātmya (Vārāṇasī/Kāśī), though this verse specifically teaches dharma through a nature-example rather than naming a tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it is an ethical instruction emphasizing compassion and non-harm.