Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69
यस्यास्त्वेव हि सामर्थ्यं तपसः क्रुद्ध्यतीहसः । कुपितोप्यसमर्थस्तु किं कर्ता क्षीणवृत्तिवत्
yasyāstveva hi sāmarthyaṃ tapasaḥ kruddhyatīhasaḥ | kupitopyasamarthastu kiṃ kartā kṣīṇavṛttivat
“For one whose austerity truly has power, even anger can be effective. But if, though enraged, one lacks that power—what can he accomplish, like a livelihood that has dwindled away?”
Śiva (Devadeva/Kṛttivāsa)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame)
Scene: A contemplative exchange where the speaker contrasts potent tapas-backed anger with powerless rage; the imagery suggests a sage’s inner fire versus a withered livelihood metaphor.
FAQs
Austerity (tapas) is meaningful when it yields inner strength; mere anger without spiritual discipline is fruitless.
The verse is part of the Kāśī narrative arc that culminates in the naming of Kāmakūṇḍa and Kāmeśvara.
None; it is a doctrinal reflection on tapas and the (in)efficacy of anger.