Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

किंवा युध्यस्व दुर्बुद्धे किंवा निर्याहि मे गिरा । क्षुधाक्षीणो मृतः पश्चान्निरयं यास्यसि ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

kiṃvā yudhyasva durbuddhe kiṃvā niryāhi me girā | kṣudhākṣīṇo mṛtaḥ paścānnirayaṃ yāsyasi dhruvam

Translation

„Entweder kämpfe, du Tor, oder komm auf mein Geheiß heraus. Stirbst du später, vom Hunger ausgezehrt, so wirst du gewiss zur Hölle gehen.“

Word by Word

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (interrogative particle)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle ‘or’)

• युध्यस्व: fight!
• युध्यस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• दुर्बुद्धे: O foolish-minded one
• दुर्बुद्धे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर् + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (interrogative particle)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)

• निर्याहि: go out, depart
• निर्याहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर् + या (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; ‘my’

• गिरा: by (my) words
• गिरा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिर्/गीर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; करण (instrument)

• क्षुधाक्षीणः: weakened by hunger
• क्षुधाक्षीणः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुधा + क्षीण (प्रातिपदिक; √क्षि ‘to waste’ क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; ‘क्षुधया क्षीणः’

• मृतः: dead
• मृतः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (प्रातिपदिक; √मृ ‘to die’ क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; भावे क्त-प्रत्यय (dead)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb ‘afterwards’)

• निरयम्: hell
• निरयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निरय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• यास्यसि: you will go
• यास्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणप्रयोग (adverbial accusative ‘certainly’)

Speaker

Śyena (hawk)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The hawk issues a stark ultimatum—fight or surrender—while evoking the terror of hell for a death by cowardly hunger; the pigeon appears trapped between fear and duty.

Characters & Entities

• Śyena (hawk)
• Pārāvata (pigeon)
• Niraya (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inaction and fear can become spiritually ruinous; the verse frames cowardly death as leading to painful karmic consequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an ethical ultimatum within the story.