Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

हत्वैनं राघवं सुप्तं सीतां पत्नीं विधाय च । किं गच्छामि निजं स्थानं विदेशं वाऽपिदूरतः

Transliteration

hatvainaṃ rāghavaṃ suptaṃ sītāṃ patnīṃ vidhāya ca | kiṃ gacchāmi nijaṃ sthānaṃ videśaṃ vā'pidūrataḥ

Translation

ഈ ഉറങ്ങുന്ന രാഘവനെ വധിച്ച് സീതയെ ഭാര്യയായി സ്വീകരിച്ചാൽ ഞാൻ എവിടേക്ക് പോകും—എന്റെ സ്വന്തം സ്ഥാനത്തിലേക്കോ, അതോ ദൂരദേശമായ വിദേശത്തിലേക്കോ?

Word by Word

• hatvā: having killed
• hatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (prior action), अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः

• enam: this (him)
• enam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• rāghavam: Rāghava (Rāma)
• rāghavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāghava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• suptam: sleeping
• suptam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sup (धातु) → supta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying rāghavam)

• sītām: Sītā
• sītām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sītā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• patnīm: (his) wife
• patnīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; सीतायाः अपपद-सम्बन्धः (apposition)

• vidhāya: having arranged/placed (done)
• vidhāya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vidhā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (prior action), अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative)

• gacchāmi: do I go
• gacchāmi: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः? (actually उत्तमपुरुष/1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• nijam: one's own
• nijam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying sthānam)

• sthānam: place, abode
• sthānam: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• videśam: foreign land
• videśam: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: videśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पबोधक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक (particle: even/also)

• dūrataḥ: from far away
• dūrataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dūratas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), पञ्चमी-अर्थे (ablatival sense): 'from afar'

Speaker

Lakṣmaṇa (inner monologue, tempted by adharma)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis (explicit: viprāḥ addressed in nearby verses)

Visual Art Cues

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.

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmaṇa
• Rāma (Rāghava)
• Sītā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pāpa first arises as a thought; recognizing its ugliness is the beginning of returning to dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is narrative; the adhyāya later turns toward Gokarṇa’s sanctity and worship of Maheśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an ethical crisis-point illustrating adharma.