Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

क्व राजतनयो बालो गहनं क्व च तद्वनम् । बलात्स्वसात्प्रत्कुर्वत्यै नमस्ते भवितव्य ते

Transliteration

kva rājatanayo bālo gahanaṃ kva ca tadvanam | balātsvasātpratkurvatyai namaste bhavitavya te

Translation

Một bên là hoàng tử còn thơ dại, một bên là khu rừng rậm rạp đáng sợ kia—sao lại thế? Ôi Định mệnh không thể cưỡng, kẻ thúc đẩy muôn sự bằng sức mạnh—xin cúi lạy Ngài!

Word by Word

• kva: where? / how (far)?
• kva: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• rāja-tanayaḥ: the king's son
• rāja-tanayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan + tanaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (king's son)

• bālaḥ: a boy
• bālaḥ: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• gahanam: a dense (place) / thicket
• gahanam: Karta (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gahana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

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

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vanam: forest
• vanam: Karta (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• balāt: by force / from force
• balāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• svasāt: from (his) sister
• svasāt: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svasā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• pratkurvatyai: to the woman who was retaliating/opposing
• pratkurvatyai: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati + kṛ (धातु) + śatṛ/śānac (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; ‘प्रतिकुर्वती’ (doing in return/opposing) इत्यस्य चतुर्थी

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (अव्यय/नपुंसक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (indeclinable interjection)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया/चतुर्थी (2nd/4th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (enclitic)

• bhavitavyam: destined / what must happen
• bhavitavyam: Karta (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhū (धातु) + tavya (कृत्य-प्रत्यय; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कृत्य (gerundive: ‘to be / destined’)

• te: of you / your
• te: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tender young prince, adorned yet frightened, stands at the edge of a dark, tangled forest; above him, an invisible force of Destiny is suggested by swirling wind and a commanding, unseen pull; the prince offers a startled salutation.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Events can unfold beyond human expectation; recognizing destiny’s force encourages surrender without abandoning dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the narrative-philosophical frame within Kāśī Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an exclamation of awe and reverence toward Bhavitavya (destiny).