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

Even though blinded by hunger, he does not seize her, nor does she fear him. Seeing the doe in the pangs of giving birth, his gaze becomes filled with compassion.

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.