Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

पिप्पलाद उवाच । गोवर्धन द्रुतं विप्रांस्तत्र चानय नागरान् । तेषां मतेन देवस्य नाममात्रं करोम्यहम्

Transliteration

pippalāda uvāca | govardhana drutaṃ viprāṃstatra cānaya nāgarān | teṣāṃ matena devasya nāmamātraṃ karomyaham

Translation

Pippalāda sprach: „O Govardhana, bringe eilends gelehrte Brāhmaṇen dorthin und rufe auch die Bürger der Stadt herbei. Nach ihrem Rat werde ich den heiligen Namen der Gottheit festsetzen.“

Word by Word

• पिप्पलादः: Pippalāda
• पिप्पलादः: Karta (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिप्पलाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• गोवर्धन: O Govardhana
• गोवर्धन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोवर्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• द्रुतम्: quickly
• द्रुतम्: Kriya-vishesana (Manner adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्रुतम् (अव्यय/नपुंसक-रूप)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• विप्रान्: Brahmins
• विप्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• आनय: bring
• आनय: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √नी (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नागरान्: citizens (Nāgaras)
• नागरान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• मतेन: by the opinion / according to the view
• मतेन: Karana (Means/according to; करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• देवस्य: of the deity
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• नाममात्रम्: mere name
• नाममात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (‘मात्रं नाम’ = mere name)

• करोमि: I make / I do
• करोमि: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Pippalāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Govardhana

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pippalāda instructs Govardhana to quickly gather learned brāhmaṇas and townsmen; a council forms near the shrine site with palm-leaf notes, ritual vessels, and a newly prepared sanctum—prelude to naming the deity.

Characters & Entities

• Pippalāda
• Govardhana
• Śiva (deva connected with the Liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred institutions are stabilized through communal dharma—scriptural authorities and local society together confirm the deity’s public identity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha where a newly established Liṅga’s name is to be set through collective assent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Convening brāhmaṇas and townspeople to determine and establish the deity’s name (nāma-pratiṣṭhā).