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
«Ou bien combats, insensé, ou bien sors à mon ordre. Si ensuite tu meurs, épuisé par la faim, tu iras sûrement en enfer.»
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.