Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45
हत्वैनं राघवं सुप्तं सीतां पत्नीं विधाय च । किं गच्छामि निजं स्थानं विदेशं वाऽपिदूरतः
hatvainaṃ rāghavaṃ suptaṃ sītāṃ patnīṃ vidhāya ca | kiṃ gacchāmi nijaṃ sthānaṃ videśaṃ vā'pidūrataḥ
«Si je tuais ce Rāghava endormi et prenais Sītā pour épouse, où irais-je : vers mon propre pays, ou vers quelque contrée étrangère et lointaine ?»
Lakṣmaṇa (inner monologue, tempted by adharma)
Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis (explicit: viprāḥ addressed in nearby verses)
Scene: A tense night scene: Lakṣmaṇa awake, mind racing, imagining extreme protective measures; the sleeping Rāma nearby; Sītā under guarded shelter; moonlit forest-camp atmosphere.
FAQs
Pāpa first arises as a thought; recognizing its ugliness is the beginning of returning to dharma.
The verse is narrative; the adhyāya later turns toward Gokarṇa’s sanctity and worship of Maheśvara.
None; it is an ethical crisis-point illustrating adharma.