Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अजन्मानेकजन्मा च त्वनामास्फुटनामभृत् । निरालंबोऽखिलालंबो निर्गुणोपि गुणास्पदम्

Transliteration

ajanmānekajanmā ca tvanāmāsphuṭanāmabhṛt | nirālaṃbo'khilālaṃbo nirguṇopi guṇāspadam

Translation

How is He unborn, yet of many births? Nameless, yet the bearer of clear and countless Names? Without support, yet the support of all? Beyond the guṇas, yet the very ground where the guṇas appear?

Word by Word

• अजन्मा: unborn
• अजन्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- (नञ्) + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नञ्-विशेषण (unborn)

• अनेक-जन्मा: having many births
• अनेक-जन्मा: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक) + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (अनेकानि जन्मानि यस्य)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (and)

• त्वत्: of you
• त्वत्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (of you)

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karma (Object within compound sense/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• अस्फुट-नाम-भृत्: bearing an indistinct/ineffable name
• अस्फुट-नाम-भृत्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्फुट (प्रातिपदिक) + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक) + भृ (धातु) → भृत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘भृत्’ (क्विप्/कृदन्त: bearer) तत्पुरुष (अस्फुटं नाम बिभर्ति)

• निरालम्बः: supportless
• निरालम्बः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + आलम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (without support)

• अखिल-आलम्बः: support of all
• अखिल-आलम्बः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक) + आलम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (अखिलस्य आलम्बः/आधारः यस्य)

• निर्गुणः: without attributes
• निर्गुणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (without qualities)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (even/also)

• गुण-आस्पदम्: abode of qualities
• गुण-आस्पदम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominal/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + आस्पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (गुणानाम् आस्पदम्)

Speaker

Agastya (inquiring, addressed to Skanda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada-tīrtha (context)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṣaṇmukha (Skanda) addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic cosmic diagram rendered as art: Viṣṇu as a luminous axis (support of all), with multiple avatāra silhouettes around Him; a ring of sacred names inscribed; below, the river-ford as a concrete ‘ālambana’ for pilgrims.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma holds together paradoxes: the Supreme is beyond all attributes yet compassionately becomes accessible through names, forms, and descents.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Pañcanada Tīrtha context in Kāśī continues; the verse frames the kind of divine manifestation that sanctifies the place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly.