Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 123
Devanagari script
किमेवं नश्यसे कीट कस्मान्मृत्योर्बिभेषि च । अहो समुचिता भीतिर्मनुष्यस्य कुतस्तव
Transliteration
kimevaṃ naśyase kīṭa kasmānmṛtyorbibheṣi ca | aho samucitā bhītirmanuṣyasya kutastava
Translation
“हे कीट! तू इस प्रकार क्यों नष्ट होता है, और मृत्यु से क्यों डरता है? अहो, ऐसी भीति तो मनुष्य के लिए उचित है—तेरे लिए कैसे?”
Word by Word
किम्why
किम्:
Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formप्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle): ‘why/what’
एवम्thus, in this way
एवम्:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएवम् (अव्यय)
Formप्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)
नश्यसेdo you perish
नश्यसे:
Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√नश् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; Present, 2nd person singular
कीटO insect
कीट:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootकीट (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Vocative singular
कस्मात्why
कस्मात्:
Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative used interrogatively: ‘from what cause/why’
मृत्योःof death
मृत्योः:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootमृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular
बिभेषिyou fear
बिभेषि:
Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√भी (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; Present, 2nd person singular
चand
च:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)
अहोalas!, oh!
अहो:
Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअहो (अव्यय)
Formविस्मय/खेदादि-बोधक निपात (exclamatory particle)
समुचिताappropriate, fitting
समुचिता:
Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootसमुचित (प्रातिपदिक; सम्-√उच्/√उचित् + क्त)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Feminine, Nominative singular (agreeing with भीतिः)
भीतिःfear
भीतिः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootभीति (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Feminine, Nominative singular
मनुष्यस्यof a human
मनुष्यस्य:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootमनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular
कुतःhow, whence
कुतः:
Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकुतः (अव्यय)
Formप्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb): ‘whence/how’
तवfor you/of you
तव:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootयुष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Pronoun, Genitive singular
Speaker
Vyāsa
Skanda Dialogue
Listener: the insect-bodied narrator
Visual Art Cues
Scene: Vyāsa addresses the insect with calm, probing eyes; the insect pauses mid-flight, as if arrested by the question about death and fear.
Characters & Entities
V
VyāsaM
Mṛtyu (death)FAQs
Fear of death is tied to self-awareness and karmic memory; the verse prepares for teaching on liberation from repeated births.
No new site is named; the episode remains situated near the Sarasvatī.
None; it is a direct question initiating instruction.