Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

लक्ष्मण उवाच । यदि मे निग्रहं नाथ न करिष्यसि सांप्रतम् । प्राणत्यागं करिष्यामि वह्नावात्मविशुद्धये

Transliteration

lakṣmaṇa uvāca | yadi me nigrahaṃ nātha na kariṣyasi sāṃpratam | prāṇatyāgaṃ kariṣyāmi vahnāvātmaviśuddhaye

Translation

ລັກສະມະນະກ່າວວ່າ: «ຂ້າແຕ່ພຣະອົງ ຖ້າພຣະອົງບໍ່ລົງໂທດຂ້າໃນບັດນີ້ ຂ້າຈະສະຫຼະຊີວິດໃນໄຟ ເພື່ອຊໍາລະຈິດວິນຍານໃຫ້ບໍລິສຸດ»។

Word by Word

• lakṣmaṇaḥ: Lakṣmaṇa
• lakṣmaṇaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

• me: of me/my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• nigraham: restraint/control
• nigraham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• nātha: O lord/master
• nātha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• kariṣyasi: you will do
• kariṣyasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• sāṃpratam: now/at present
• sāṃpratam: Sambandha (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃprata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• prāṇatyāgam: giving up life
• prāṇatyāgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa + tyāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘प्राणानां त्यागः’); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kariṣyāmi: I will do
• kariṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• vahnau: in the fire
• vahnau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• ātmaviśuddhaye: for self-purification
• ātmaviśuddhaye: Sampradana (Purpose/प्रयोजन-दत्त)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman + viśuddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘आत्मनः विशुद्धिः’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थ

Speaker

Lakṣmaṇa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Lakṣmaṇa stands firm, hands joined or clenched, speaking to his lord with intense resolve; a ritual fire (agni) glows nearby, symbolizing threatened self-immolation for purification.

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmaṇa
• Rāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Atonement must be sincere; inner purity is valued so highly that one seeks strong corrective measures to remove moral stain.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to a tīrtha-glorifying chapter, but this line centers on personal prāyaścitta rather than naming a location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A severe expiatory act is implied—entering fire as self-sacrifice for purification—though it is presented as Lakṣmaṇa’s vow, not a general injunction.