Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

क्व राजतनयो बालो गहनं क्व च तद्वनम् । बलात्स्वसात्प्रत्कुर्वत्यै नमस्ते भवितव्य ते

Transliteration

kva rājatanayo bālo gahanaṃ kva ca tadvanam | balātsvasātpratkurvatyai namaste bhavitavya te

Translation

Qu’est-ce qu’un jeune fils de roi, et qu’est-ce que cette forêt épaisse et redoutable ? Ô Destin irrésistible qui pousse toute chose par la seule force : salut à toi !

Word by Word

• kva: where? / how (far)?
• kva: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• rāja-tanayaḥ: the king's son
• rāja-tanayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan + tanaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (king's son)

• bālaḥ: a boy
• bālaḥ: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• gahanam: a dense (place) / thicket
• gahanam: Karta (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gahana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kva: where?
• kva: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vanam: forest
• vanam: Karta (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• balāt: by force / from force
• balāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• svasāt: from (his) sister
• svasāt: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svasā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• pratkurvatyai: to the woman who was retaliating/opposing
• pratkurvatyai: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati + kṛ (धातु) + śatṛ/śānac (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; ‘प्रतिकुर्वती’ (doing in return/opposing) इत्यस्य चतुर्थी

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (अव्यय/नपुंसक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (indeclinable interjection)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया/चतुर्थी (2nd/4th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (enclitic)

• bhavitavyam: destined / what must happen
• bhavitavyam: Karta (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhū (धातु) + tavya (कृत्य-प्रत्यय; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कृत्य (gerundive: ‘to be / destined’)

• te: of you / your
• te: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tender young prince, adorned yet frightened, stands at the edge of a dark, tangled forest; above him, an invisible force of Destiny is suggested by swirling wind and a commanding, unseen pull; the prince offers a startled salutation.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Events can unfold beyond human expectation; recognizing destiny’s force encourages surrender without abandoning dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the narrative-philosophical frame within Kāśī Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an exclamation of awe and reverence toward Bhavitavya (destiny).