Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

जायन्तो नाम शक्रोऽयं सांप्रतं वर्तते तु यः । वैवस्वतो मनुश्चैव अष्टाविंशत्प्रमाणकः

Transliteration

jāyanto nāma śakro'yaṃ sāṃprataṃ vartate tu yaḥ | vaivasvato manuścaiva aṣṭāviṃśatpramāṇakaḥ

Translation

Der Indra, der jetzt waltet, trägt den Namen Jāyanta. Und auch Vaivasvata Manu ist im Amt—sein Maß wird als das achtundzwanzigste gezählt (nach der genannten Zählung).

Word by Word

• जायन्तः: Jāyanta (name)
• जायन्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जायन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha/Specifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषणार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) — ‘by name/indeed’

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अयम्: this (one)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• सांप्रतम्: at present/now
• सांप्रतम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सांप्रतम् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• वर्तते: exists/continues/is
• वर्तते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) — contrast/emphasis

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• वैवस्वतः: Vaivasvata (son of Vivasvat)
• वैवस्वतः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैवस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (epithet)

• मनुः: Manu
• मनुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• अष्टाविंशत्प्रमाणकः: having the measure of twenty-eight
• अष्टाविंशत्प्रमाणकः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टाविंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + प्रमाणक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (संख्यापूर्वक) — ‘having the measure/number of 28’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; exact speaker not in snippet)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (and vocative framing toward cosmic authority)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ‘present age’ marker: Indra Jāyanta in heaven with vajra; Vaivasvata Manu below on earth holding a staff and śāstra; a numbered band ‘28’ highlighted in a cosmic ledger motif.

Characters & Entities

• Jāyanta (Indra/Śakra)
• Vaivasvata Manu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the highest divine posts have designated names and terms, emphasizing the disciplined order of creation under dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in the verse; it functions as contextual teaching within Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.