Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अथ तद्राघवो दृष्ट्वा महत्तेजो वियद्गतम् । विस्मयेन समायुक्तोऽचिन्तयत्किमिदं ततः

Transliteration

atha tadrāghavo dṛṣṭvā mahattejo viyadgatam | vismayena samāyukto'cintayatkimidaṃ tataḥ

Translation

Al ver aquella gran luminosidad elevarse al cielo, Rāghava quedó colmado de asombro y pensó: «¿Qué es esto, en verdad?»

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Connector/अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अथ)
• Form: Particle (निपात) ‘then’

• tat-rāghavaḥ: that Rāghava (Rama)
• tat-rāghavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (तद्) + rāghava (राघव)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; कर्मधारय: ‘that’ + ‘Rāghava’ = ‘that Rāghava (Rama)’

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (दृश्-धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त) ‘having seen’

• mahat-tejaḥ: great radiance
• mahat-tejaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahat (महत्) + tejas (तेजस्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; कर्मधारय: ‘great’ + ‘splendour’

• viyat-gatam: gone into the sky
• viyat-gatam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of mahat-tejaḥ/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viyat (वियत्) + gata (गत, √gam)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; past participle (क्त) ‘gone’; तत्पुरुष: ‘to the sky’ + ‘gone’

• vismayena: with amazement
• vismayena: Hetu/Instrument (Cause/means/हेतु-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vismaya (विस्मय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• samāyuktaḥ: filled (with)
• samāyuktaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā-yuj (सम्+आ+युज्-धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘endowed/connected’

• acintayat: he thought
• acintayat: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cint (चिन्त्-धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object of thought/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: kim (किम्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; interrogative

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (Apposition to kim/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: idam (इदम्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; demonstrative

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Kāla-viśeṣaṇa (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (ततस्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverb (अव्यय) ‘then/thereupon’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta to the sages in a Māhātmya frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarayū

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāghava stands on the riverbank looking upward as a brilliant column/orb of light ascends into the open sky; his face shows astonished contemplation.

Characters & Entities

• Rāghava (Rāma)
• Lakṣmaṇa (implied by context)
• Sky (viyat)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is portrayed as marked by unmistakable divine signs, inspiring awe and reflection even in the most steadfast devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarayū tīrtha setting (from the immediate context) frames the event as a site where extraordinary spiritual attainments manifest.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; it narrates the observed sign—radiance rising skyward.