Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ततो मूर्च्छामनुप्राप्ता दृष्ट्वा पुत्रं तथाविधम् । यष्टिप्रहारनिर्भिन्नं सर्वांगरुधिरोक्षितम्

Transliteration

tato mūrcchāmanuprāptā dṛṣṭvā putraṃ tathāvidham | yaṣṭiprahāranirbhinnaṃ sarvāṃgarudhirokṣitam

Translation

അപ്പോൾ തന്റെ പുത്രനെ ആ നിലയിൽ കണ്ടപ്പോൾ—വടിപ്രഹാരങ്ങളാൽ കുത്തിത്തുറന്നും സർവ്വാംഗവും രക്തത്തിൽ നനഞ്ഞും—അവൾ മൂർച്ചിച്ചു വീണു।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'ततः' = 'then/thereafter'

• mūrcchām: fainting, swoon
• mūrcchām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrcchā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — 'mūrcchā' (fainting)

• anuprāptā: having come upon, having attained
• anuprāptā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anu + √āp (आप्) → anuprāpta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग — 'having attained/come upon' (agreeing with implied subject 'she')

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश्) (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकाल — 'having seen'

• putram: son
• putram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tathāvidham: of such a condition, like that
• tathāvidham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tathā + vidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण — 'of such a kind/so' (qualifying 'putram')

• yaṣṭi-prahāra-nirbhinnaṃ: split/opened by blows of a staff
• yaṣṭi-prahāra-nirbhinnaṃ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yaṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + prahāra (प्रातिपदिक) + nirbhinna (√bhid भिद्, क्त)
• Form: समास (तत्पुरुष; साधन/करण-सम्बन्धः: 'yaṣṭyā prahāreṇa nirbhinnaḥ'), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'putram')

• sarva-aṅga-rudhira-ukṣitam: sprinkled/covered with blood over the whole body
• sarva-aṅga-rudhira-ukṣitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + rudhira (प्रातिपदिक) + ukṣita (√ukṣ उक्ष्, क्त)
• Form: समास (तत्पुरुष; अधिकरण/संबन्धः: 'sarvāṅgeṣu rudhireṇa ukṣitam'), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (contextual narrator in Tīrthamāhātmya; exact speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mother beholds her son struck by staff-blows, body pierced and drenched in blood; she collapses in a faint, attendants shocked, the scene heavy with pathos.

Characters & Entities

• Nāga-mother (jananī)
• Rudramāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse heightens the ethical warning: cruelty results in profound grief and moral downfall, especially when committed in a sacred tīrtha realm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative remains within the Nāgatīrtha māhātmya framework, where the sanctity of place contrasts with the horror of adharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is descriptive, preparing the ground for subsequent consequences and possible expiations later in the chapter.