Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

यावत्स्वश क्तिं शक्तोपि न दर्शयति कर्हिचित् । तावत्स लंघ्यः सर्वेषां ज्वलनो दारुगो यथा

Transliteration

yāvatsvaśa ktiṃ śaktopi na darśayati karhicit | tāvatsa laṃghyaḥ sarveṣāṃ jvalano dārugo yathā

Translation

Hangga’t ang may kakayahan ay hindi ipinakikita sa takdang panahon ang sariling lakas, hangga’t gayon siya’y minamaliit ng lahat—gaya ng apoy na nakatago sa kahoy.

Word by Word

• yāvat: as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धावधि/यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्धः), temporal-correlative indeclinable ‘as long as’

• sva-śaktim: his own power
• sva-śaktim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘स्वस्य शक्तिः’ → ‘स्वशक्तिः’ (own power)

• śaktaḥ: capable
• śaktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śakta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √śak (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण ‘able/capable’

• api: even/though
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (concessive/also ‘even’)

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

• darśayati: shows
• darśayati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; causative sense ‘makes seen/shows’ (दर्शयति)

• karhicit: ever/at any time
• karhicit: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: karhicit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (at any time/ever)

• tāvat: so long/then
• tāvat: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्धः), correlative ‘so long/then’

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• laṃghyaḥ: is to be slighted/overstepped
• laṃghyaḥ: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: laṃghya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √laṅgh (धातु) + यत्/ण्यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भाव्य/योग्य-विशेषण ‘to be overstepped/insulted’

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; ‘of all’

• jvalanaḥ: fire
• jvalanaḥ: Upamana/Drishtanta (Example-subject/दृष्टान्त)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jvalana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘fire’

• dārugaḥ: (fire) in wood/wood-fed
• dārugaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dāruga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण ‘wood-(fed)/in wood’ (दारुगः)

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Upamana (Simile-marker/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमानवाचक (as/just as)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; within Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda’s discourse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A piece of dry wood split open to reveal a glowing ember; nearby, people ignore the unlit log but gather once flame appears—allegory of hidden power becoming visible.

Characters & Entities

• Jvalana (fire)
• Dāru (wood)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires timely, measured assertion of strength; unexpressed capability fails to protect or inspire.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; this is a general maxim within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa narrative flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.