Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

जीवितेन किमद्यैव मम नास्ति प्रयोजनम् । पातितस्त्रिदशेंद्रेण यथा कापुरुषस्तथा

Transliteration

jīvitena kimadyaiva mama nāsti prayojanam | pātitastridaśeṃdreṇa yathā kāpuruṣastathā

Translation

“บัดนี้ชีวิตมีประโยชน์อันใดแก่ข้าเล่า? ข้าไร้จุดหมายแล้ว—ถูกเจ้าแห่งไตรทศ (อินทรา) เหยียบย่ำให้ล้มลงประหนึ่งคนขลาด”

Word by Word

• जीवितेन: with life; by living
• जीवितेन: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Cause in idiom)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• किम्: what (use)?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; प्रश्नवाचक — interrogative ‘what?’

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय — adverb ‘today/now’

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Emphasis particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक निपात — particle ‘indeed/just’

• मम: for me/of me
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Genitive, Singular (1st person pronoun)

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात — negation particle ‘not’

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriyā (Existential verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Present, 3rd person, Singular

• प्रयोजनम्: purpose/use
• प्रयोजनम्: Karma/Predicative complement
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular

• पातितः: cast down
• पातितः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √पत् (धातु) → पातित (कृदन्त, क्त; णिच्-भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; PPP ‘caused to fall/struck down’

• त्रिदशेन्द्रेण: by Indra
• त्रिदशेन्द्रेण: Karta (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदश-इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Singular; समास: त्रिदशानाम् इन्द्रः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) ‘lord of the thirty (gods)’

• यथा: as
• यथा: Upamā marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय — indeclinable ‘as/like’

• कापुरुषः: a coward
• कापुरुषः: Upamāna (Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कापुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; समास: कुत्सितः पुरुषः (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष) ‘coward’

• तथा: so/likewise
• तथा: Upameya-correlative
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुल्यतावाचक अव्यय — indeclinable ‘so/thus’

Speaker

Bali (addressing Bhārgava/Śukra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bali, newly revived, stands with slumped shoulders or clenched fists, eyes lowered; he speaks bitterly of purposeless life after being cast down by Indra; Śukra listens with composed gravity.

Characters & Entities

• Bali
• Tridaśendra (Indra)
• Bhārgava (Śukra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Without dharma-grounded purpose, mere survival feels empty; honor and right conduct are treated as central to meaningful life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of Kedārakhaṇḍa’s Kedāra-centered narration, though it focuses on Bali’s personal crisis.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.