Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66
Devanagari script
विधवानां स्तना यद्वद्धृद्येव विलयंति च । उन्नम्योन्नम्य तत्रोच्चैस्तद्वत्खलमनोरथाः
Transliteration
vidhavānāṃ stanā yadvaddhṛdyeva vilayaṃti ca | unnamyonnamya tatroccaistadvatkhalamanorathāḥ
Translation
यथा विधवानां स्तनाः पुनः पुनरुन्नम्य हृदि एव विलीयन्ते, तथा खलस्य मनोरथाः पुनः पुनरुच्छ्रिता अपि अन्ते पतन्ति।
Word by Word
विधवानाम्of widows
विधवानाम्:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootविधवा (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन
स्तनाःbreasts
स्तनाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootस्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन
यद्वत्just as
यद्वत्:
Upamana-marker (उपमान-सूचक)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयद्वत् (अव्यय)
Formउपमानवाचक-अव्यय (comparative particle: 'just as')
हृदिin the heart
हृदि:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootहृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन
एवindeed/only
एव:
Particle (निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव (अव्यय)
Formनिश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)
विलयन्तिdissolve/vanish
विलयन्ति:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootवि-लि (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद
चand
च:
Connector (समुच्चय)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)
उन्नम्यhaving raised
उन्नम्य:
Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootउद्-नम् (धातु)
Formक्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), 'having raised'
उन्नम्यagain having raised
उन्नम्य:
Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootउद्-नम् (धातु)
Formक्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पुनरुक्ति (repetition)
तत्रthere
तत्र:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत्र (अव्यय)
Formदेशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: 'there')
उच्चैःhighly/aloud
उच्चैः:
Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootउच्चैः (अव्यय)
Formरीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'high/loudly')
तद्वत्likewise
तद्वत्:
Upameya-correlative (उपमेय-सूचक)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतद्वत् (अव्यय)
Formउपमानानुसारी-अव्यय (correlative: 'so/likewise')
खल-मनोरथाःthe desires of the wicked
खल-मनोरथाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootखल (प्रातिपदिक) + मनोरथ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध: 'of the wicked'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन
Speaker
Vyāsa (narrative voice; speaker not explicitly marked in this verse)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A didactic tableau: a proud, scheming figure climbing a high platform repeatedly, each time slipping and falling; in the background, the luminous silhouette of Kāśī as the steady, unshaken ideal.
FAQs
Ambitions rooted in adharma repeatedly rise but cannot sustain themselves; they inevitably collapse.
No specific tīrtha is named; it serves as a moral reflection in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context.
None.