Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

यस्मिन्ग्रामे निवासी यो यत्संज्ञश्च वणिग्भवेत् । तस्य ग्रामस्य तन्नाम ह्यभवत्पृथिवीपते

Transliteration

yasmingrāme nivāsī yo yatsaṃjñaśca vaṇigbhavet | tasya grāmasya tannāma hyabhavatpṛthivīpate

Translation

Ô seigneur de la terre, dans tel village, quel que fût le nom porté par le marchand qui y demeurait, c’est par ce même nom que le village en vint à être connu.

Word by Word

• यस्मिन्: in which
• यस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• ग्रामे: in the village
• ग्रामे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• निवासी: a resident
• निवासी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नि-वास् (धातु) + निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (णिनि/इन्-प्रत्यय, ‘dweller’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• यत्: whatever/which
• यत्: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘संज्ञः’ विशेषणार्थे (as qualifier: ‘having such a name’)

• संज्ञः: named/called
• संज्ञः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘यः’ विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• वणिक्: a merchant
• वणिक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वणिज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘भवेत्’ कर्ता

• भवेत्: would be/becomes
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• ग्रामस्य: of the village
• ग्रामस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘नाम’ विशेषण

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), निश्चय/कारणार्थ

• अभवत्: became/was
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• पृथिवीपते: O lord of the earth (king)
• पृथिवीपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पृथिव्याः पतिः), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Vyāsa continuing the account)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pṛthivīpati (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king is addressed while a narrator explains that villages are named after resident merchants; a merchant stands as exemplar while villagers gesture to the settlement sign/name.

Characters & Entities

• Pṛthivī-pati (king)
• Vaṇik (merchant community)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human conduct leaves a durable imprint; in Purāṇic sacred geography, communities and their leaders shape the identity of places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharmāraṇya region’s settlements are being explained through naming traditions rather than a single named tīrtha in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.