Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । निवेद्य राघवस्तस्मै सर्वं गद्गदया गिरा । वाष्पपूरप्रतिच्छन्नवक्त्रो भूयो विनिःश्वसन्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | nivedya rāghavastasmai sarvaṃ gadgadayā girā | vāṣpapūrapraticchannavaktro bhūyo viniḥśvasan

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—എല്ലാം അവനോട് അറിയിച്ച ശേഷം രാഘവൻ ഇടറുന്ന ശബ്ദത്തിൽ പറഞ്ഞു; കണ്ണീരിന്റെ പ്രളയത്തിൽ മുഖം മറഞ്ഞ്, വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും ദീർഘ നിശ്വാസങ്ങൾ വിട്ടു।

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• निवेद्य: having reported
• निवेद्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नि-√विद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund); ‘having informed’

• राघवः: Rāghava (Rāma)
• राघवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (proper noun)

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गद्गदया: with a faltering
• गद्गदया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गद्गद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (instrumental)

• गिरा: voice; speech
• गिरा: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिर्/गिरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वाष्पपूरप्रतिच्छन्नवक्त्रः: whose face was covered with a flood of tears
• वाष्पपूरप्रतिच्छन्नवक्त्रः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रतिच्छन्न (कृदन्त, प्रति-√छद्) + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (‘यस्य वक्त्रं वाष्पपूरैः प्रतिच्छन्नम्’)

• भूयः: again; repeatedly
• भूयः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: again/further)

• विनिःश्वसन्: sighing
• विनिःश्वसन्: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-निः-√श्वस् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘sighing’

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Laṅkā (karuṇā-smṛti)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates: Rāghava speaks with a trembling, choked voice; tears veil his face; he exhales repeatedly, conveying deep sorrow amid the court.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Rāghava (Rāma)
• Vibhīṣaṇa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the righteous experience grief; dharma includes truthful expression of sorrow while remaining oriented toward what is right.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Laṅkā narrative context continues; this verse is primarily emotive narration rather than site-description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is mentioned.