Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

लोहासुरभयाद्राजन्विप्र नाम्ना विनिर्मितम् । शंभुना वणिजा यस्मात्तस्मात्तन्नामधारणम्

Transliteration

lohāsurabhayādrājanvipra nāmnā vinirmitam | śaṃbhunā vaṇijā yasmāttasmāttannāmadhāraṇam

Translation

Aus Furcht vor dem Asura Loha, o König, wurde es erbaut und mit dem Namen „Vipra“ bezeichnet; und da es vom Kaufmann Śambhu gegründet wurde, trug es darum auch den mit ihm verbundenen Namen.

Word by Word

• लोहासुरभयात्: from fear of Loha-asura
• लोहासुरभयात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोहासुर-भय (प्रातिपदिक; लोहासुरस्य भयम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लोहासुरस्य भयम्)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• नाम्ना: by name
• नाम्ना: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• विनिर्मितम्: constructed / made
• विनिर्मितम्: Karma (Object/Result)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-निर्मा (धातु) → विनिर्मित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘निर्मितम्’ = ‘was made’

• शंभुना: by Śambhu
• शंभुना: Karta (Agent, in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• वणिजा: by the merchant
• वणिजा: Karta (Agent, in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वणिज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• यस्मात्: because/from which
• यस्मात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Reason/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Therefore/From that)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तदनुयायी (correlative)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣya/Anaphoric (That)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; ‘तन्नामधारणम्’ इत्यत्र पूर्वपद-सम्बन्धः

• नाम: name
• नाम: Upapada (Name-)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; समासे पूर्वपदम्

• धारणम्: bearing/assumption (of the name)
• धारणम्: Karma/Result (Act of bearing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृ (धातु) → धारण (कृदन्त/भाववाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; भाववाचक-प्रत्यय (action noun)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (Purāṇic narration) addressing a King (rājan)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (contextual) / Vipra-śambhu-nāma grāma (etiological)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A frightened caravan near a forest-edge; a merchant-patron Śambhu overseeing construction of a protected hamlet; brāhmaṇas invoked as auspicious presence; a distant looming asura-threat implied rather than shown.

Characters & Entities

• Lohāsura
• Śambhu (merchant)
• Vipra (name/title of place)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas preserve how communities respond to adharma and memorialize dharmic rebuilding through names tied to virtue and founders.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse contributes to the sacred-geographical register around Dharmāraṇya by explaining local foundations and names.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an etymological and historical note within the māhātmya-style narration.