Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

ततो मां वा कथं वीरं न स्तौषि त्वं युधिष्ठिर । येन त्वं रक्षितः पूर्वं लाक्षागेहाग्निमध्यतः

Transliteration

tato māṃ vā kathaṃ vīraṃ na stauṣi tvaṃ yudhiṣṭhira | yena tvaṃ rakṣitaḥ pūrvaṃ lākṣāgehāgnimadhyataḥ

Translation

Then how is it, O hero Yudhiṣṭhira, that you do not praise even me—the warrior by whom you were formerly saved from the midst of the fire in the house of lac?

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/therefore
• tataḥ: Discourse (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (then/therefore)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Samuccaya/Option (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)

• katham: how
• katham: Question (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय/प्रश्न)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (how?)

• vīram: hero
• vīram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘mām’ इत्यस्य विशेषणवत् (appositional)

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• stauṣi: you praise
• stauṣi: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: stu (धातु)
• Form: लट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yudhiṣṭhira: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhira: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• yena: by whom
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया, एकवचन

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

• rakṣitaḥ: protected/saved
• rakṣitaḥ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘tvam’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• pūrvam: formerly
• pūrvam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• lākṣā-geha-agni-madhyataḥ: from the midst of the lac-house fire
• lākṣā-geha-agni-madhyataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: lākṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + geha (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासान्तात् पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th) एकवचन; ‘-taḥ’ इति तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोग (from the midst of...)

Speaker

Deducted (contextual): Bhīma (implied by boasting of saving Yudhiṣṭhira and later slaying Jarāsandha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lākṣāgṛha-smṛti-sthāna (epic memory-site)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Flashback tableau: the blazing lac house, smoke and flames; a heroic rescuer leading Yudhiṣṭhira (and implied brothers/mother) through a hidden passage—contrasted with the present admonition to praise the savior.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Lākṣāgṛha (house of lac)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remember protection received and cultivate gratitude; acknowledging helpers is part of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse recalls an itihāsa event (the lac-house fire) to teach ethical remembrance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.