Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 123
Devanagari script
किमेवं नश्यसे कीट कस्मान्मृत्योर्बिभेषि च । अहो समुचिता भीतिर्मनुष्यस्य कुतस्तव
Transliteration
kimevaṃ naśyase kīṭa kasmānmṛtyorbibheṣi ca | aho samucitā bhītirmanuṣyasya kutastava
Translation
„Warum gehst du so zugrunde, o Insekt, und weshalb fürchtest du den Tod? Ach, eine solche Furcht ziemt dem Menschen—wie könnte sie dir eigen sein?“
Word by Word
किम्why
किम्:
Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formप्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle): ‘why/what’
एवम्thus, in this way
एवम्:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएवम् (अव्यय)
Formप्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)
नश्यसेdo you perish
नश्यसे:
Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√नश् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; Present, 2nd person singular
कीटO insect
कीट:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootकीट (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Vocative singular
कस्मात्why
कस्मात्:
Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative used interrogatively: ‘from what cause/why’
मृत्योःof death
मृत्योः:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootमृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular
बिभेषिyou fear
बिभेषि:
Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√भी (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; Present, 2nd person singular
चand
च:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)
अहोalas!, oh!
अहो:
Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअहो (अव्यय)
Formविस्मय/खेदादि-बोधक निपात (exclamatory particle)
समुचिताappropriate, fitting
समुचिता:
Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootसमुचित (प्रातिपदिक; सम्-√उच्/√उचित् + क्त)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Feminine, Nominative singular (agreeing with भीतिः)
भीतिःfear
भीतिः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootभीति (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Feminine, Nominative singular
मनुष्यस्यof a human
मनुष्यस्य:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootमनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular
कुतःhow, whence
कुतः:
Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकुतः (अव्यय)
Formप्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb): ‘whence/how’
तवfor you/of you
तव:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootयुष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Pronoun, Genitive singular
Speaker
Vyāsa
Skanda Dialogue
Listener: the insect-bodied narrator
Visual Art Cues
Scene: Vyāsa addresses the insect with calm, probing eyes; the insect pauses mid-flight, as if arrested by the question about death and fear.
Characters & Entities
V
VyāsaM
Mṛtyu (death)FAQs
Fear of death is tied to self-awareness and karmic memory; the verse prepares for teaching on liberation from repeated births.
No new site is named; the episode remains situated near the Sarasvatī.
None; it is a direct question initiating instruction.