Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

स नष्टो रजनीवक्त्रे ममावेद्य निजं कुलम् । तस्मादहं प्रवेक्ष्यामि प्रदीप्ते हव्यवाहने

Transliteration

sa naṣṭo rajanīvaktre mamāvedya nijaṃ kulam | tasmādahaṃ pravekṣyāmi pradīpte havyavāhane

Translation

ชายผู้นั้นได้หายตัวไปแล้ว โอ้ ผู้มีพักตร์ดั่งดวงจันทร์ โดยมิได้เปิดเผยเชื้อสายที่แท้จริงแก่ข้าพเจ้า ดังนั้นข้าพเจ้าจะเข้าสู่กองไฟที่ลุกโชน

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• naṣṭaḥ: ruined, lost
• naṣṭaḥ: Predicate adjective (विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naś (धातु) + naṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; ‘सः’ इति विशेषणम्

• rajanī-vaktre: O night-faced one (epithet)
• rajanī-vaktre: Sambodhana/Adhikarana (Address/Locative nuance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rajanī (प्रातिपदिक) + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: ‘रजनी इव वक्त्रम्’ (night-like face)

• mama: my
• mama: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• āvedya: having informed, after telling
• āvedya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā + vid (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive); ‘आविद्य/आवेद्य’ = ‘ज्ञापयित्वा/निवेद्य’

• nijam: one's own
• nijam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘कुलम्’ इति विशेषणम्

• kulam: family, lineage
• kulam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• tasmāt: therefore, from that reason
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति तद्धित/सर्वनाम-रूपेण अव्ययीभावः; हेत्वर्थे (ablatival adverb)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• pravekṣyāmi: I will enter
• pravekṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + viś (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• pradīpte: in the blazing (fire)
• pradīpte: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + dīp (धातु) + pradīpta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘हव्यवाहने’ इति विशेषणम्

• havyavāhane: in the fire (Agni), the oblation-carrier
• havyavāhane: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: havya (प्रातिपदिक) + vāhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘हव्यं वहति’ इति (Agni)

Speaker

The same daughter (unnamed), addressing another woman (likely a confidante or companion)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A blazing sacrificial or household fire dominates the foreground; the woman stands near it with determined, grief-stricken face; relatives reach out to stop her; the scene is lit by orange flames.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (havyavāhana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hidden identity and adharmic unions create intense inner conflict; dharma demands clarity of conduct and lineage in sacraments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of a larger tīrtha-glorifying chapter context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A drastic act—entering fire—is declared, but it is narrative intent rather than a prescribed rite.