Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

न हन्मि यदि तं प्राप्तमत्र मे दृष्टिगोचरम् । तन्मा भून्मे गतिः श्रेष्ठा धर्मिणां या प्रपद्यते

Transliteration

na hanmi yadi taṃ prāptamatra me dṛṣṭigocaram | tanmā bhūnme gatiḥ śreṣṭhā dharmiṇāṃ yā prapadyate

Translation

যদি আমার দৃষ্টিগোচরে আসা সেই ব্যক্তিকে আমি বধ না করি, তবে ধার্মিকরা যে শ্রেষ্ঠ গতি লাভ করেন, তা যেন আমার না হয়।

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• हन्मि: I kill
• हन्मि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Clause linker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (if)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्राप्तम्: having come / arrived
• प्राप्तम्: Karman (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (tam)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दृष्टिगोचरम्: within (my) sight
• दृष्टिगोचरम्: Karman (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + गोचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समास (to the range of sight); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (tam)

• तत्: then / in that case
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वाक्योपक्रमे (correlative 'then/that')

• मा: may ... not
• मा: Pratiṣedha (Prohibition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle, used with optative)

• भूत्: may it be
• भूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ्-प्रयोगः (Optative sense), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; (भूयात्/भवेत्-अर्थे)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• गतिः: destiny / course / refuge
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• श्रेष्ठा: best
• श्रेष्ठा: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (गतिः)

• धर्मिणाम्: of the righteous
• धर्मिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• प्रपद्यते: is attained / is resorted to
• प्रपद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-पद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Lakṣmaṇa (contextual deduction: speaking of duty at the gate)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma’s face turns inward with solemn resolve as he binds his own salvation to duty; the atmosphere is austere, with Lakṣmaṇa receiving the gravity of the statement.

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld through steadfastness to one’s sworn duty; wavering from righteous obligation is portrayed as forfeiting the highest spiritual destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative frame; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed here; the focus is on dharmic resolve.