Shloka 82
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
ततः स कार्तिकेयत्वमवाप परमद्युति: । स्कन्नत्वात् स्कन्दतां चापि गुहावासाद् गुहो&भवत्
tataḥ sa kārtikeyatvam avāpa paramadyutiḥ | skannatvāt skandatāṁ cāpi guhāvāsād guho 'bhavat |
Bhīṣma dit : Ensuite, ce jeune homme d’une splendeur suprême fut connu sous le nom de Kārtikeya. Parce qu’il naquit de la semence répandue (skannita), il reçut aussi le nom de Skanda ; et parce qu’il demeura dans une grotte de montagne, on l’appela Guha. Le vers explique ainsi que les noms procèdent des causes et des actes, rattachant l’identité à l’origine et au genre de vie plutôt qu’à une simple convention.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that names and reputations are grounded in causes—origin, deeds, and lived circumstances—suggesting an ethical view that identity is meaningfully connected to one’s source and conduct, not merely to arbitrary labels.
Bhishma explains the origins of Kartikeya’s epithets: he is called Kārtikeya, also Skanda due to being born from the spilled seed, and Guha because he lived in a cave—an etymological account of the deity’s well-known names.