Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

सुतस्य जननार्थाय कुरु यत्नं वृषध्वज । येन सेनाधिपत्ये तं योजयामि दिवौकसाम्

Transliteration

sutasya jananārthāya kuru yatnaṃ vṛṣadhvaja | yena senādhipatye taṃ yojayāmi divaukasām

Translation

«Bemühe dich, o Herr mit dem Stierbanner, einen Sohn hervorzubringen—damit ich ihn zum Heerführer der himmlischen Scharen einsetzen kann.»

Word by Word

• सुतस्य: of a son
• सुतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• जननार्थाय: for the purpose of begetting
• जननार्थाय: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनन (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी (4th/प्रयोजन), एकवचन; ‘जननस्य अर्थः’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• कुरु: do / make
• कुरु: Kriyā (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यत्नम्: effort
• यत्नम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• वृषध्वज: O Bull-bannered one (Śiva)
• वृषध्वज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः = ‘he whose banner is the bull’ (शिव)

• येन: by which
• येन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• सेनाधिपत्ये: in the command of the army
• सेनाधिपत्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिपत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• योजयामि: I appoint / I will assign
• योजयामि: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु) [णिच्]
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative) = ‘I will appoint/engage’

• दिवौकसाम्: of the gods
• दिवौकसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव् (प्रातिपदिक) + ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; ‘दिवि ओकः येषाम्’ इति (देवाः); व्यवहारतः ‘of the gods’

Speaker

Indra (Śakra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śiva (Vṛṣadhvaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra petitions Śiva (Vṛṣadhvaja) to bring forth a son for the purpose of appointing him commander of the devas; Śiva is calm, Indra earnest, devas attentive.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Vṛṣadhvaja)
• Indra
• Devas (divaukas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic order is restored through divinely purposed birth; leadership is framed as service to dharma, not power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse; it is part of the broader Māhātmya narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse requests a divine act (begetting a son) for a dharmic objective.