Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

सचिवैर्ब्राह्मणैर्वापि तस्यैतन्नाम निर्मितम् । मात्रा वा तत्समाचक्ष्व परं कौतूहलं हि नः

Transliteration

sacivairbrāhmaṇairvāpi tasyaitannāma nirmitam | mātrā vā tatsamācakṣva paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ

Translation

«Ce nom fut-il façonné par des ministres ou par des brāhmaṇa, ou peut-être par sa mère ? Explique-le-nous : notre curiosité est grande.»

Word by Word

• सचिवैः: by ministers
• सचिवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सचिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• ब्राह्मणैः: by Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात — disjunctive particle ‘or’

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात — particle ‘also/even’

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

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; ‘this’ (qualifying नाम)

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• निर्मितम्: was made/constructed
• निर्मितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√मा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Past passive participle ‘made/constructed’

• मात्रा: by the mother
• मात्रा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental (3rd), Singular

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात — disjunctive particle ‘or’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; ‘that’ (referring to matter)

• समाचक्ष्व: tell/explain
• समाचक्ष्व: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ√चक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Imperative, 2nd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• परम्: great
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; ‘great/supreme’ (qualifying कौतूहलम्)

• कौतूहलम्: curiosity
• कौतूहलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतूहल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (हेतौ/निश्चये) — particle ‘indeed/for’

• नः: of us/our
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन — Genitive (6th), Plural; enclitic ‘our’

Speaker

Ṛṣayaḥ (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Putra-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta (as respondent)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal or learned assembly asks about the origin of a sacred name; the speaker is poised to reveal a divine cause behind the toponym.

Characters & Entities

• brāhmaṇāḥ
• sacivāḥ
• mātā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred narratives often preserve precise causes behind names; understanding them deepens faith in the tirtha’s power and history.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The question prepares for the tirtha’s explanatory legend, which links the person and the place through the name-story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an inquiry about naming and tradition.