Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

ततो मां वा कथं वीरं न स्तौषि त्वं युधिष्ठिर । येन त्वं रक्षितः पूर्वं लाक्षागेहाग्निमध्यतः

Transliteration

tato māṃ vā kathaṃ vīraṃ na stauṣi tvaṃ yudhiṣṭhira | yena tvaṃ rakṣitaḥ pūrvaṃ lākṣāgehāgnimadhyataḥ

Translation

پھر اے بہادر یُدھشٹھِر! تُو مجھے، اُس جنگجو کو، کیسے نہیں سراہتا جس نے پہلے تجھے لاک کے گھر کی آگ کے بیچ سے بچایا تھا؟

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/therefore
• tataḥ: Discourse (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (then/therefore)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Samuccaya/Option (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)

• katham: how
• katham: Question (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय/प्रश्न)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (how?)

• vīram: hero
• vīram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘mām’ इत्यस्य विशेषणवत् (appositional)

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• stauṣi: you praise
• stauṣi: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: stu (धातु)
• Form: लट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yudhiṣṭhira: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhira: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• yena: by whom
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया, एकवचन

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

• rakṣitaḥ: protected/saved
• rakṣitaḥ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘tvam’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• pūrvam: formerly
• pūrvam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• lākṣā-geha-agni-madhyataḥ: from the midst of the lac-house fire
• lākṣā-geha-agni-madhyataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: lākṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + geha (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासान्तात् पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th) एकवचन; ‘-taḥ’ इति तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोग (from the midst of...)

Speaker

Deducted (contextual): Bhīma (implied by boasting of saving Yudhiṣṭhira and later slaying Jarāsandha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lākṣāgṛha-smṛti-sthāna (epic memory-site)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Flashback tableau: the blazing lac house, smoke and flames; a heroic rescuer leading Yudhiṣṭhira (and implied brothers/mother) through a hidden passage—contrasted with the present admonition to praise the savior.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Lākṣāgṛha (house of lac)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remember protection received and cultivate gratitude; acknowledging helpers is part of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse recalls an itihāsa event (the lac-house fire) to teach ethical remembrance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.