Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

चित्रांगद उवाच । तव रूपं समालोक्य कामस्याहं वशं गतः । तस्माद्भजस्व मां भीरु नो चेद्यास्यामि संक्षयम्

Transliteration

citrāṃgada uvāca | tava rūpaṃ samālokya kāmasyāhaṃ vaśaṃ gataḥ | tasmādbhajasva māṃ bhīru no cedyāsyāmi saṃkṣayam

Translation

ചിത്രാംഗദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—നിന്റെ രൂപം കണ്ടപ്പോൾ ഞാൻ കാമവശനായി. അതിനാൽ, ഹേ ഭീരുവേ, എന്നെ സ്വീകരിക്ക; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഞാൻ നാശത്തിലേക്കു പോകും.

Word by Word

• चित्राङ्गदः: Citrāṅgada
• चित्राङ्गदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्राङ्गद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• रूपम्: form, beauty
• रूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• समालोक्य: having seen
• समालोक्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + लोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकाले क्रिया

• कामस्य: of desire (Kāma)
• कामस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वशम्: into subjection, control
• वशम्: Gati-karman (Goal/Object with motion/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गतः: gone, fallen (into)
• गतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (agreeing with अहम्)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Reason (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तस्मात् = therefore/from that)

• भजस्व: accept/serve (me)
• भजस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भज् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• भीरु: O timid one
• भीरु: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Upapada (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• यास्यामि: I shall go
• यास्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• संक्षयम्: to destruction, ruin
• संक्षयम्: Gati-karman (Goal/Object with motion/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Citrāṅgada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the maiden (kanyā)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Gandharva, adorned with celestial ornaments, implores a shy maiden in a grove near a sacred ford; his posture is urgent, her stance guarded, the tīrtha landscape quietly witnessing the moral tension.

Characters & Entities

• Citrāṅgada
• Kāma
• Phalavatī (addressed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāma’s force is portrayed as destabilizing; dharma requires mastery of impulse rather than coercive pleading.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly named in this verse; it is a dramatic moment within the chapter’s broader tīrtha-māhātmya narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.