Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

तच्छ्रुत्वा लक्ष्मणश्चित्ते चिंतयामास दुःखितः । वरं मे मृत्युरेकस्य मा भूयात्कुलसंक्षयः

Transliteration

tacchrutvā lakṣmaṇaścitte ciṃtayāmāsa duḥkhitaḥ | varaṃ me mṛtyurekasya mā bhūyātkulasaṃkṣayaḥ

Translation

Nghe vậy, Lakṣmaṇa đau buồn, tự nhủ trong lòng: “Thà ta một mình chết, còn hơn để cả vương tộc bị diệt vong.”

Word by Word

• tat: that (speech)
• tat: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; श्रुत्वा-क्रियायाः कर्म

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): 'having heard'

• lakṣmaṇaḥ: Lakṣmaṇa
• lakṣmaṇaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• citte: in (his) mind
• citte: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Loc. 7), एकवचन

• ciṃtayāmāsa: pondered; thought
• ciṃtayāmāsa: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cint (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; causative stem sense 'pondered'

• duḥkhitaḥ: distressed
• duḥkhitaḥ: Kartā-anvaya (Qualifier of subject/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkhita (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; lakṣmaṇaḥ विशेषण

• varam: better; rather
• varam: Prayojaka (Preference marker/प्राधान्य)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (predicative particle: 'better/rather')

• me: for me
• me: Sampradāna (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचन; अत्र 'for me' (चतुर्थी)

• mṛtyuḥ: death
• mṛtyuḥ: Kartā (Subject of bhūyāt/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ekasya: of one (alone)
• ekasya: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; 'of one (person)'

• mā: may not
• mā: Pratiṣedha (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (prohibitive particle used with optative)

• bhūyāt: should happen; may occur
• bhūyāt: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• kula-saṃkṣayaḥ: destruction of the lineage
• kula-saṃkṣayaḥ: Kartā (Subject of bhūyāt/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'kulasya saṃkṣayaḥ'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; describing Lakṣmaṇa’s thought)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Lakṣmaṇa, distressed, turns inward and resolves: better I die alone than the whole dynasty perish—his face shows sorrow and steel-like determination.

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmaṇa
• Raghu lineage (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It teaches self-sacrifice and responsibility: one should accept personal loss to prevent greater harm to family and society.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it conveys dharma within a broader pilgrimage-glorifying chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is ethical and narrative, highlighting resolve and protective duty.