Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

न बलं प्रभवेदत्र न किंचिदपि पौरुषम् । अहो प्रयत्नो देवानामेतत्पीयूषरक्षणे

Transliteration

na balaṃ prabhavedatra na kiṃcidapi pauruṣam | aho prayatno devānāmetatpīyūṣarakṣaṇe

Translation

“इथे ना बळ चालते, ना किंचित् पौरुष. अहो! या अमृत (पीयूष) रक्षणासाठी देवांचा प्रयत्न किती अद्भुत आहे!”

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• बलम्: strength
• बलम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्रभवेत्: could prevail
• प्रभवेत्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय

• न: nor
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• किञ्चित्: anything
• किञ्चित्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चित-परिमाणवाचक ‘anything’ (अत्र प्रथमा)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• पौरुषम्: human effort/valor
• पौरुषम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अहो: indeed!/alas!
• अहो: Sambandha (Exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मय-निपात

• प्रयत्नः: effort
• प्रयत्नः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• एतत्: in this
• एतत्: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (रक्षणे) ‘in this’

• पीयूषरक्षणे: in the guarding of nectar
• पीयूषरक्षणे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीयूष (प्रातिपदिक) + रक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—पीयूषस्य रक्षणम्

Speaker

Garuḍa (within Skanda’s narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame assumed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Garuḍa acknowledges that neither strength nor valor works; the scene widens to suggest unseen devas maintaining a vigilant protective field around the nectar.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Pīyūṣa/Amṛta
• Garuḍa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility: some protections are upheld by divine order, beyond ordinary strength; success comes through alignment with dharma and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s sacred storytelling; no single Kāśī tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly.