Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

नामाह्न्येकादशे गेहाच्चतुर्थेमासि निष्क्रमः । मासेन्नप्राशनं षष्ठे चूडाब्दे वा यथाकुलम्

Transliteration

nāmāhnyekādaśe gehāccaturthemāsi niṣkramaḥ | māsennaprāśanaṃ ṣaṣṭhe cūḍābde vā yathākulam

Translation

Am elften Tag findet die Namensgebung statt; im vierten Monat der erste Ausgang des Kindes aus dem Haus. Im sechsten Monat erfolgt die erste feste Speise; und die Tonsur (Cūḍā) wird im ersten oder dritten Jahr vollzogen, je nach Familienbrauch.

Word by Word

• nāma: name (naming rite)
• nāma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• ahni: on the day
• ahni: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• ekādaśe: on the eleventh
• ekādaśe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekādaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• gehāt: from the house
• gehāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: geha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• caturthe: in the fourth
• caturthe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• māsi: in the month
• māsi: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• niṣkramaḥ: (the rite of) going out (niṣkramaṇa)
• niṣkramaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṣkrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• māse: in the month
• māse: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• anna-prāśanam: the first-feeding of solid food (annaprāśana)
• anna-prāśanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक) + prāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः तत्पुरुषः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• ṣaṣṭhe: in the sixth
• ṣaṣṭhe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• cūḍā-abde: in the year of the tonsure (cūḍā)
• cūḍā-abde: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cūḍā (प्रातिपदिक) + abda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः तत्पुरुषः; पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• vā: or
• vā: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (or)

• yathā-kulam: according to family custom
• yathā-kulam: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्यय-प्रयोग (indeclinable adverbial)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual continuity)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence tableau: the infant’s naming on day 11 with priest and elders; the baby carried out in the 4th month toward a Kāśī ghat/temple; anna-prāśana with a small golden bowl; cūḍā ceremony with a barber and sacred fire.

Characters & Entities

• Nāmakaraṇa
• Niṣkramaṇa
• Annaprāśana
• Cūḍākarma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Family life is dharmically structured through saṃskāras that bless growth stages and align them with sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader sanctified context is Kāśī (Kāśīkhaṇḍa), though the verse itself focuses on household rites rather than a named shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nāmakaraṇa on day 11, niṣkramaṇa in month 4, annaprāśana in month 6, and cūḍā in the appropriate year as per family custom.