Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ततोऽतिचिंतयामास व्याकुलेनांतरात्मना । बाष्पव्याकुलनेत्रश्च निःष्वसन्पन्नगो यथा

Transliteration

tato'ticiṃtayāmāsa vyākulenāṃtarātmanā | bāṣpavyākulanetraśca niḥṣvasanpannago yathā

Translation

Da versank er in tiefes Sinnen, im Innersten bekümmert; die Augen von Tränen getrübt, seufzte er wie eine Schlange.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'ततः' = 'thereupon/then'

• ati: excessively, very
• ati: Visheshana (Modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ati (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषण) — अतिशयार्थक

• ciṃtayāmāsa: he pondered
• ciṃtayāmāsa: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cint (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिप्रास/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातु: चिन्त् = to think

• vyākulena: with a disturbed (state)
• vyākulena: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग? (प्रयोगे—अन्तरात्मना सह तृतीया), तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; विशेषण

• antarātmanā: with (his) inner self
• antarātmanā: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antar-ātman (प्रातिपदिक; अन्तर + आत्मन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः—'inner self'

• bāṣpa: tears
• bāṣpa: Visheshana (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (समासाङ्ग), एकवचन; 'tear(s)'

• vyākula: agitated
• vyākula: Visheshana (Compound member)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण (समासाङ्ग)

• netraḥ: (he) whose eyes
• netraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: netra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (समासात्) — 'one whose eyes...'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• niḥṣvasan: sighing
• niḥṣvasan: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: niḥ-√śvas (धातु; श्वस्)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), प्रथमा, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; उपसर्ग: निः

• pannagaḥ: a serpent
• pannagaḥ: Upamana (Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pannaga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yathā: as, like
• yathā: Upamana (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/तुलनाबोधक)

Speaker

Sūta (narrative voice implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A distressed royal figure sits or stands in anxious contemplation, eyes brimming with tears, exhaling long sighs; attendants keep distance, sensing the gravity of a vow-bound dilemma.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the virtuous experience anguish when dharma presents conflicting duties; inner struggle is part of righteous discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative frame; the sanctified setting heightens the seriousness of the dharmic crisis.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the emphasis is on the emotional and ethical weight of keeping vows while facing compassion-driven conflict.