Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

अथ सा काल्यमाना च धेनुः कोपसमन्विता । जमदग्निं हतं दृष्ट्वा ररम्भ करुणं मुहुः

Transliteration

atha sā kālyamānā ca dhenuḥ kopasamanvitā | jamadagniṃ hataṃ dṛṣṭvā rarambha karuṇaṃ muhuḥ

Translation

তাৰ পাছত হঁকাই নিয়া ধেনুটী ক্ৰোধেৰে ভৰি উঠিল; জমদগ্নিক নিহত দেখা মাত্রেই সি বাৰে বাৰে কৰুণ স্বৰে ৰম্ভিবলৈ ধৰিলে।

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• काल्यमाना: being driven
• काल्यमाना: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कल्/काल् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि कृदन्त (present passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “being driven/urged”

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction: and)

• धेनुः: the cow
• धेनुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कोपसमन्विता: filled with anger
• कोपसमन्विता: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोप + समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः/उपपदसमासः (कोपेन समन्विता = endowed with anger)

• जमदग्निम्: Jamadagni
• जमदग्निम्: Karma (Object of seeing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जमदग्नि (प्रातिपदिक; नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• हतम्: killed
• हतम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; जमदग्निम् इति विशेषणम्

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); “having seen”

• ररम्भ: began (to cry/bellow)
• ररम्भ: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रभ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• करुणम्: piteously
• करुणम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: करुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणवत्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (adverbial accusative: “piteously”)

• मुहुः: again and again
• मुहुः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनःपुनर्वाचक (adverb: repeatedly)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māhiṣmatī / Narmadā belt (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The cow, being driven forward, turns her head back toward the slain Jamadagni and bellows repeatedly—her eyes wet, body tense, anger and grief intermingled.

Characters & Entities

• Jamadagni
• Dhenu (Kāmadhenu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Violence against the righteous (especially a brahmin sage) triggers grievous karmic consequences and cosmic disturbance, reflected even in nature’s lament.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework; the immediate snippet does not name a specific tīrtha, but the episode functions as a narrative ground for tīrtha-glorification in the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is narrative, setting up the moral and karmic stakes.