Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

विपद्यपि च न प्राज्ञैः संत्या ज्यः क्वचिदुद्यमः । क्व चंचुपुटस्तस्य क्व च तत्पादपीडनम्

Transliteration

vipadyapi ca na prājñaiḥ saṃtyā jyaḥ kvacidudyamaḥ | kva caṃcupuṭastasya kva ca tatpādapīḍanam

Translation

Selbst im Unglück geben die Weisen das Bemühen niemals auf. Denn was ist schon ein wenig im Schnabel, und was ist das feste Drücken des Fußes jenes (Habichts)?

Word by Word

• vipadi: in adversity
• vipadi: Adhikaraṇa (Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th); एकवचन

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (even/also)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• prājñaiḥ: by the wise
• prājñaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive sense/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prājña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd); बहुवचन

• saṃtyājyaḥ: to be abandoned
• saṃtyājyaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective to udyamaḥ/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam- (उपसर्ग) + tyaj (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्/य-प्रत्ययार्थक (gerundive/obligatory); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); एकवचन; ‘to be abandoned’ (न संत्याज्यः = should not be abandoned)

• kvacit: ever, at any time
• kvacit: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/काल-अनिश्चित (anywhere/ever)

• udyamaḥ: effort, enterprise
• udyamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); एकवचन

• kva: where
• kva: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक (where?)

• caṃcu-puṭaḥ: the beak-cavity
• caṃcu-puṭaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃcu (प्रातिपदिक) + puṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (caṃcoḥ puṭaḥ = beak-cavity)

• tasya: of that (bird)
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी (6th); एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kva: where
• kva: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक (where?)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/विरोध-छाया (and/whereas)

• tat-pāda-pīḍanam: the pressing of that foot
• tat-pāda-pīḍanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + pīḍana (प्रातिपदिक; pīḍ धातु-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (tasya pādasya pīḍanam = pressing of that foot)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: narrator moralizing within Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Didactic pause: the narrator contrasts the small ‘beakful’ with the severe ‘foot-crushing’—a visual of mismatch between cause and effect, emphasizing leverage and perseverance.

Characters & Entities

• Prājña (the wise)
• Śyena (hawk)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Udyama (steadfast effort) is praised as a dharmic virtue; despair is rejected even when circumstances look unequal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is a general dharma/nīti maxim within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa setting rather than a direct tīrtha description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.