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
“Either fight, you fool, or come out at my command. If you later die, wasted away by hunger, you will surely go to hell.”
Word by Word
किम्what?
किम्:
Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्ययप्रयोग (interrogative particle)
वाor
वा:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवा (अव्यय)
Formविकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle ‘or’)
युध्यस्वfight!
युध्यस्व:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootयुध् (धातु)
Formलोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद
दुर्बुद्धेO foolish-minded one
दुर्बुद्धे:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootदुर् + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन
किम्what?
किम्:
Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्ययप्रयोग (interrogative particle)
वाor
वा:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवा (अव्यय)
Formविकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)
निर्याहिgo out, depart
निर्याहि:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootनिर् + या (धातु)
Formलोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद
मेmy
मे:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootअस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; ‘my’
गिराby (my) words
गिरा:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootगिर्/गीर् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; करण (instrument)
क्षुधाक्षीणःweakened by hunger
क्षुधाक्षीणः:
Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootक्षुधा + क्षीण (प्रातिपदिक; √क्षि ‘to waste’ क्त)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; ‘क्षुधया क्षीणः’
मृतःdead
मृतः:
Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootमृत (प्रातिपदिक; √मृ ‘to die’ क्त)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; भावे क्त-प्रत्यय (dead)
पश्चात्afterwards
पश्चात्:
Kala (Time/काल)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपश्चात् (अव्यय)
Formकालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb ‘afterwards’)
निरयम्hell
निरयम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootनिरय (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन
यास्यसिyou will go
यास्यसि:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootया (धातु)
Formलृट् (Simple Future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद
ध्रुवम्certainly
ध्रुवम्:
Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्ययीभावेन 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
Ś
Śyena (hawk)P
Pārāvata (pigeon)N
Niraya (hell)FAQs
Inaction and fear can become spiritually ruinous; the verse frames cowardly death as leading to painful karmic consequence.
No specific tirtha is mentioned in this verse.
None; it is an ethical ultimatum within the story.