Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

विपद्यपि च न प्राज्ञैः संत्या ज्यः क्वचिदुद्यमः । क्व चंचुपुटस्तस्य क्व च तत्पादपीडनम्

Transliteration

vipadyapi ca na prājñaiḥ saṃtyā jyaḥ kvacidudyamaḥ | kva caṃcupuṭastasya kva ca tatpādapīḍanam

Translation

विपत्तीतही प्राज्ञ कधीही उद्यम सोडत नाहीत. त्याच्या चोचीचा तो लहानसा आवरण कुठे, आणि त्या (श्येनाच्या) पायाचे चिरडणे कुठे!

Word by Word

• vipadi: in adversity
• vipadi: Adhikaraṇa (Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th); एकवचन

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (even/also)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• prājñaiḥ: by the wise
• prājñaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive sense/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prājña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd); बहुवचन

• saṃtyājyaḥ: to be abandoned
• saṃtyājyaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective to udyamaḥ/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam- (उपसर्ग) + tyaj (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्/य-प्रत्ययार्थक (gerundive/obligatory); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); एकवचन; ‘to be abandoned’ (न संत्याज्यः = should not be abandoned)

• kvacit: ever, at any time
• kvacit: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/काल-अनिश्चित (anywhere/ever)

• udyamaḥ: effort, enterprise
• udyamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); एकवचन

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

• caṃcu-puṭaḥ: the beak-cavity
• caṃcu-puṭaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃcu (प्रातिपदिक) + puṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (caṃcoḥ puṭaḥ = beak-cavity)

• tasya: of that (bird)
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी (6th); एकवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/विरोध-छाया (and/whereas)

• tat-pāda-pīḍanam: the pressing of that foot
• tat-pāda-pīḍanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + pīḍana (प्रातिपदिक; pīḍ धातु-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (tasya pādasya pīḍanam = pressing of that foot)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: narrator moralizing within Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Didactic pause: the narrator contrasts the small ‘beakful’ with the severe ‘foot-crushing’—a visual of mismatch between cause and effect, emphasizing leverage and perseverance.

Characters & Entities

• Prājña (the wise)
• Śyena (hawk)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Udyama (steadfast effort) is praised as a dharmic virtue; despair is rejected even when circumstances look unequal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is a general dharma/nīti maxim within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa setting rather than a direct tīrtha description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.