Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45
हत्वैनं राघवं सुप्तं सीतां पत्नीं विधाय च । किं गच्छामि निजं स्थानं विदेशं वाऽपिदूरतः
hatvainaṃ rāghavaṃ suptaṃ sītāṃ patnīṃ vidhāya ca | kiṃ gacchāmi nijaṃ sthānaṃ videśaṃ vā'pidūrataḥ
“Jika aku membunuh Rāghava yang sedang tidur ini dan menjadikan Sītā isteriku, ke manakah aku harus pergi—kembali ke tempatku sendiri, atau ke negeri asing yang jauh?”
Lakṣmaṇa (inner monologue, tempted by adharma)
Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis (explicit: viprāḥ addressed in nearby verses)
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.
FAQs
Pāpa first arises as a thought; recognizing its ugliness is the beginning of returning to dharma.
The verse is narrative; the adhyāya later turns toward Gokarṇa’s sanctity and worship of Maheśvara.
None; it is an ethical crisis-point illustrating adharma.