Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

जामदग्न्येन रामेण यदा क्षत्रं निपातितम् । गर्भस्थमपि कार्त्स्न्येन कोपोपहतचेतसा

Transliteration

jāmadagnyena rāmeṇa yadā kṣatraṃ nipātitam | garbhasthamapi kārtsnyena kopopahatacetasā

Translation

যখন জামদগ্ন্য রাম (পরশুরাম) ক্রোধে আচ্ছন্নচিত্ত হয়ে ক্ষত্রিয়বংশকে সম্পূর্ণরূপে নিপাত করলেন—গর্ভস্থ সন্তানদেরও অবশিষ্ট না রেখে—

Word by Word

• जामदग्न्येन: by Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma)
• जामदग्न्येन: Kartr-karana (Agent expressed instrumentally/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जामदग्न्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• रामेण: by Rāma
• रामेण: Kartr-karana (Agent expressed instrumentally/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; जामदग्न्यस्य समानााधिकरणम्

• यदा: when
• यदा: Temporal modifier (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal conjunction: when)

• क्षत्रम्: the Kṣatriya order
• क्षत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; जातिवाचक (kṣatriya class)

• निपातितम्: was felled, destroyed
• निपातितम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object complement/कर्मसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्षत्रम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• गर्भस्थम्: even (those) in the womb
• गर्भस्थम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (गर्भे स्थितम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्षत्रम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Emphasis/Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक-अव्यय (even/also)

• कार्त्स्न्येन: entirely, completely
• कार्त्स्न्येन: Adverbial instrument (करण-भावे)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्त्स्न्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वथा/सम्पूर्णतया इत्यर्थे

• कोप: anger
• कोप: Compound member
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासपूर्वपद)

• उपहतचेतसा: with mind struck by anger
• उपहतचेतसा: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपहत (प्रातिपदिक/क्त-कृदन्त) + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयभावः (कोपेन उपहतं चेतः यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्तरि विशेषणम् (रामेण)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Tīrthamāhātmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Paraśurāma, fierce and ascetic, wielding the axe, stands amid a battlefield aftermath; the narrative emphasizes the totality of destruction, even of unborn heirs.

Characters & Entities

• Paraśurāma (Rāma Jāmadagnya)
• Kṣatriyas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Uncontrolled wrath is shown as socially catastrophic; later verses counterbalance this with dharmic restoration through sacred rites and tīrtha merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets the historical backdrop; the glorified site is identified later in this sequence as Vāsiṣṭha Kuṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly here; it introduces the crisis that motivates later tīrtha-centered prescriptions.