Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85
Devanagari script
यावत्स्वश क्तिं शक्तोपि न दर्शयति कर्हिचित् । तावत्स लंघ्यः सर्वेषां ज्वलनो दारुगो यथा
Transliteration
yāvatsvaśa ktiṃ śaktopi na darśayati karhicit | tāvatsa laṃghyaḥ sarveṣāṃ jvalano dārugo yathā
Translation
Tant que l’homme capable ne manifeste pas, au moment opportun, sa propre puissance, il est méprisé de tous, tel le feu caché dans le bois.
Word by Word
yāvatas long as
yāvat:
Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootyāvat (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय (सम्बन्धावधि/यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्धः), temporal-correlative indeclinable ‘as long as’
sva-śaktimhis own power
sva-śaktim:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootsva (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘स्वस्य शक्तिः’ → ‘स्वशक्तिः’ (own power)
śaktaḥcapable
śaktaḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeAdjective
Rootśakta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √śak (धातु) + क्त)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण ‘able/capable’
apieven/though
api:
Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, निपात (concessive/also ‘even’)
nanot
na:
Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, निषेध-निपात (negation)
darśayatishows
darśayati:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√dṛś (धातु)
Formलट् (वर्तमानकाल), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; causative sense ‘makes seen/shows’ (दर्शयति)
karhicitever/at any time
karhicit:
Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootkarhicit (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, कालवाचक (at any time/ever)
tāvatso long/then
tāvat:
Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottāvat (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय (यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्धः), correlative ‘so long/then’
saḥhe
saḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roottad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम
laṃghyaḥis to be slighted/overstepped
laṃghyaḥ:
Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
TypeAdjective
Rootlaṃghya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √laṅgh (धातु) + यत्/ण्यत्)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भाव्य/योग्य-विशेषण ‘to be overstepped/insulted’
sarveṣāmof all
sarveṣām:
Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
TypeNoun
Rootsarva (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; ‘of all’
jvalanaḥfire
jvalanaḥ:
Upamana/Drishtanta (Example-subject/दृष्टान्त)
TypeNoun
Rootjvalana (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘fire’
dārugaḥ(fire) in wood/wood-fed
dārugaḥ:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootdāruga (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण ‘wood-(fed)/in wood’ (दारुगः)
yathājust as
yathā:
Upamana (Simile-marker/उपमान)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootyathā (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, उपमानवाचक (as/just as)
Speaker
Narrative voice (contextual; within Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda’s discourse)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A piece of dry wood split open to reveal a glowing ember; nearby, people ignore the unlit log but gather once flame appears—allegory of hidden power becoming visible.
Characters & Entities
J
Jvalana (fire)D
Dāru (wood)FAQs
Dharma requires timely, measured assertion of strength; unexpressed capability fails to protect or inspire.
None; this is a general maxim within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa narrative flow.
None.