Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

ततो विलप्य दुःखार्ता करुणं तत्र कानने । जगाम मार्गमाश्रित्थ पितुर्हर्म्यं शनैःशनैः

Transliteration

tato vilapya duḥkhārtā karuṇaṃ tatra kānane | jagāma mārgamāśrittha piturharmyaṃ śanaiḥśanaiḥ

Translation

Then, afflicted with grief, she lamented piteously there in the forest; taking to the path, she slowly made her way toward her father’s palace.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), तदर्थे—अनन्तरम्/ततः (thereafter)

• vilapya: having lamented
• vilapya: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi+lap (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; ‘विलप्’ (to lament) + क्त्वा = having lamented

• duḥkhārtā: afflicted with grief
• duḥkhārtā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + ārta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दुःखेन आर्ता) = afflicted by sorrow

• karuṇam: piteously
• karuṇam: Kriya-viseshana (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: karuṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसकलिङ्ग-एकवचन-प्रथमा/द्वितीया (adverbial accusative): compassionately/piteously

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• kānane: in the forest
• kānane: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• jagāma: went
• jagāma: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• mārgam: the path
• mārgam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• āśritya: having taken (resort to)
• āśritya: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā+śri (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; ‘आश्रि’ = having resorted to/taken

• pituḥ: of (her) father
• pituḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• harmyam: mansion/palace
• harmyam: Karma (Object/Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: harmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• śanaiḥ: slowly
• śanaiḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śanaiḥ (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb)

• śanaiḥ: very slowly
• śanaiḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śanaiḥ (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb), पुनरुक्ति (reduplication for emphasis)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; specific speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sorrow-stricken noble woman in a forest, weeping and then slowly stepping onto a path toward a distant palace; dense trees, dusk light, and a sense of abandonment.

Characters & Entities

• Damayantī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sorrow is acknowledged, yet one must continue on the rightful course with patience and restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse is narrative; the chapter’s sacred-geography emphasis later centers on Hāṭakeśvara Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction appears in this verse.