Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

न हन्मि यदि तं प्राप्तमत्र मे दृष्टिगोचरम् । तन्मा भून्मे गतिः श्रेष्ठा धर्मिणां या प्रपद्यते

Transliteration

na hanmi yadi taṃ prāptamatra me dṛṣṭigocaram | tanmā bhūnme gatiḥ śreṣṭhā dharmiṇāṃ yā prapadyate

Translation

എൻ്റെ ദൃഷ്ടിയിൽ പെട്ട ആ മനുഷ്യനെ ഞാൻ വധിക്കുന്നില്ലെങ്കിൽ, ധർമ്മിഷ്ഠർക്ക് ലഭിക്കുന്ന ആ ശ്രേഷ്ഠമായ ഗതി എനിക്ക് ലഭിക്കാതിരിക്കട്ടെ.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• हन्मि: I kill
• हन्मि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Clause linker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (if)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्राप्तम्: having come / arrived
• प्राप्तम्: Karman (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (tam)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दृष्टिगोचरम्: within (my) sight
• दृष्टिगोचरम्: Karman (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + गोचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समास (to the range of sight); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (tam)

• तत्: then / in that case
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वाक्योपक्रमे (correlative 'then/that')

• मा: may ... not
• मा: Pratiṣedha (Prohibition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle, used with optative)

• भूत्: may it be
• भूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ्-प्रयोगः (Optative sense), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; (भूयात्/भवेत्-अर्थे)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• गतिः: destiny / course / refuge
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• श्रेष्ठा: best
• श्रेष्ठा: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (गतिः)

• धर्मिणाम्: of the righteous
• धर्मिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• प्रपद्यते: is attained / is resorted to
• प्रपद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-पद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Lakṣmaṇa (contextual deduction: speaking of duty at the gate)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma’s face turns inward with solemn resolve as he binds his own salvation to duty; the atmosphere is austere, with Lakṣmaṇa receiving the gravity of the statement.

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld through steadfastness to one’s sworn duty; wavering from righteous obligation is portrayed as forfeiting the highest spiritual destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative frame; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed here; the focus is on dharmic resolve.