Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

मातरं क्षतसर्वाङ्गीं प्राणशेषां व्यथान्विताम् । रुरुदुः शोकसन्तप्ता मुक्त्वा रामं महाबलम्

Transliteration

mātaraṃ kṣatasarvāṅgīṃ prāṇaśeṣāṃ vyathānvitām | ruruduḥ śokasantaptā muktvā rāmaṃ mahābalam

Translation

മാതാവിനെ ശരീരമൊട്ടാകെ മുറിവേറ്റതും, പ്രാണം മാത്രം ശേഷിച്ചതും, വേദനയിൽ പീഡിതയുമായതായി കണ്ട അവർ ശോകത്തിൽ കത്തിക്കൊണ്ട് കരഞ്ഞു; അപ്പോൾ മഹാബലനായ രാമനെയും വിട്ടുവെച്ച്.

Word by Word

• मातरम्: mother
• मातरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• क्षतसर्वाङ्गीम्: wounded all over
• क्षतसर्वाङ्गीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षत + सर्वाङ्गी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (kṣatā sarvāṅgī = whose whole body is wounded); ‘मातरम्’ विशेषण

• प्राणशेषाम्: barely alive
• प्राणशेषाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राण + शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (prāṇānāṃ śeṣā = with only life remaining/barely alive); ‘मातरम्’ विशेषण

• व्यथान्विताम्: afflicted with pain
• व्यथान्विताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यथा + अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (PPP) from अन्वि-√इ/अन्वि- (in sense ‘endowed with’ as adjectival), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (vyathayā anvita = afflicted with pain); ‘मातरम्’ विशेषण

• रुरुदुः: they wept
• रुरुदुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रुद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• शोकसन्तप्ताः: tormented by grief
• शोकसन्तप्ताः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोक + सन्तप्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (PPP) from तप् with सम्- (santapta), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (śokena santaptāḥ = tormented by grief); ‘(ते)’ विशेषण

• मुक्त्वा: having left
• मुक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having left/abandoned)

• रामम्: Rama
• रामम्: Karman (Object of ‘मुक्त्वा’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• महाबलम्: mighty/very strong
• महाबलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (mahān balaṃ yasya = very strong); ‘रामम्’ विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brothers kneel beside their mother, her body bandaged and wounded; they weep openly, momentarily setting aside the heroic figure of Rāma; the scene centers on maternal fragility and filial grief.

Characters & Entities

• mother
• brothers
• Rāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It emphasizes karuṇā (compassion) and the sanctity of familial and ascetic life—injury to the righteous is portrayed as a profound moral crisis.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it remains within the āśrama narrative embedded in a tīrtha-mahātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on grief and the immediate human response to suffering.