Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

नवयो न च वै चित्र्यं न चित्रं विदधेहितम् । न बलं नोद्यमः पुंसां कारणं प्राक्कृतं कृतम्

Transliteration

navayo na ca vai citryaṃ na citraṃ vidadhehitam | na balaṃ nodyamaḥ puṃsāṃ kāraṇaṃ prākkṛtaṃ kṛtam

Translation

యౌవనం గానీ, చాతుర్యం గానీ, అద్భుత ఉపాయాలు గానీ నిజమైన హితాన్ని కలిగించవు. బలం గానీ, మానవ ప్రయత్నం గానీ పరమ కారణం కాదు—నిర్ణాయకం పూర్వకృత కర్మమే.

Word by Word

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

• vayaḥ: age
• vayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vayas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (पाठे ‘navayo’ = na vayaḥ)

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

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

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic)

• citryam: wonder / strangeness
• citryam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

• citram: a marvel
• citram: Karta (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vidadhe: has arranged / has brought about
• vidadhe: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhā (धातु) उपसर्गः vi-
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; (वेदिक/काव्य-प्रयोगे)

• ihitam: what is intended/ordained
• ihitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: iṣ (धातु) + ita (क्त; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय (desired/appointed)

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

• balam: strength
• balam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• na: nor
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात

• udyamaḥ: effort
• udyamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (पाठे ‘nodyamaḥ’ = na udyamaḥ)

• puṃsām: of men
• puṃsām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pumān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• kāraṇam: the cause
• kāraṇam: Karta (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• prākkṛtam: previously done (past karma)
• prākkṛtam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāk-kṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (done before/previously done)

• kṛtam: deed / action done
• kṛtam: Karta (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + ta (क्त; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय (done deed)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage: a strong youth with weapons, a clever strategist with scrolls, an inventor with contraptions—each fades behind a larger, subtle ledger of ‘pūrva-kṛta karma’ glowing like an unseen script that governs outcomes; the central figure bows in humility.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Lasting outcomes are deeply conditioned by prior karma; effort matters but is not sovereign—so act dharmically and accept results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on karmic causality and the limits of worldly means.