Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

अथ राजाऽभवद्रामः सार्वभौमस्ततः परम् । रावणो येन दुर्धर्षो निहतो देवकंटकः

Transliteration

atha rājā'bhavadrāmaḥ sārvabhaumastataḥ param | rāvaṇo yena durdharṣo nihato devakaṃṭakaḥ

Translation

त्यानंतर राम सार्वभौम सम्राट म्हणून राजा झाला. ज्याने देवांचा कण्टक असा दुर्धर्ष रावणाचा वध केला.

Word by Word

• अथ: then, thereafter
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक/आरम्भसूचक (sequence/then)

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• रामः: Rama
• रामः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• सार्वभौमः: universal sovereign
• सार्वभौमः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सार्वभौम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘रामः’)

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्; अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदर्थे अपादान/कालवाचक (thereafter/from that)

• परम्: further, afterwards
• परम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (adverbial accusative); ‘further/afterwards’

• रावणः: Ravana
• रावणः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• येन: by whom
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; सम्बन्धे ‘by whom/whereby’

• दुर्धर्षः: hard to assail, formidable
• दुर्धर्षः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्धर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘रावणः’)

• निहतः: slain
• निहतः: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘slain’

• देवकण्टकः: thorn to the gods (scourge of the gods)
• देवकण्टकः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition to ‘रावणः’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + कण्टक (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां कण्टकः)

Speaker

Narrator of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya (contextual purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (chapter-context: Rājasvāmi and Rājavāpī within its māhātmya)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma enthroned as sārvabhauma cakravartin; behind him the memory of Laṅkā’s fall—Rāvaṇa as the defeated ‘devakaṇṭaka’; devas witnessing relief.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Rāvaṇa
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma ultimately prevails: the righteous ruler protects the world and removes the ‘thorn’ that afflicts gods and beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Adhyāya 98 tīrtha māhātmya narrative arc; this line itself does not identify the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it concludes the genealogy/result section with Rāma’s kingship and Rāvaṇa’s defeat.