Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अजोनाम नरेन्द्रोऽहं यदि ते श्रोत्रमागतः । व्याधींश्च च्छागरूपेण रक्षामि जनकारणात्

Transliteration

ajonāma narendro'haṃ yadi te śrotramāgataḥ | vyādhīṃśca cchāgarūpeṇa rakṣāmi janakāraṇāt

Translation

«Je suis le roi nommé Ajo, si mon nom est parvenu à tes oreilles. Pour le bien du peuple, je tiens les maladies en respect en prenant la forme d’un bouc.»

Word by Word

• अजोनाम: (called) Aja
• अजोनाम: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अज + नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-शब्दः (indeclinable ‘by name’), संज्ञा-निर्देश

• नरेन्द्रः: king, lord of men
• नरेन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) / चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; अत्र षष्ठी (your)

• श्रोत्रम्: ear, hearing
• श्रोत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आगतः: has come (to)
• आगतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) → आगत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘come’ (participial predicate)

• व्याधीन्: hunters
• व्याधीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

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

• छागरूपेण: in the form of a goat
• छागरूपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छाग + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; करण/प्रकारवाचक

• रक्षामि: I protect
• रक्षामि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन

• जनकारणात्: for the sake of people / due to people
• जनकारणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (cause)

Speaker

Ajo (king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Ajo identifies himself and reveals he restrains diseases by assuming a goat-form, implying a hidden guardian moving among animals near the sacred site.

Characters & Entities

• Ajo
• Narendra (king)
• Vyādhi (diseases)
• Chāga (goat)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rulership is service: the king’s supernatural vigilance symbolizes the dharmic duty to protect society from visible and subtle harms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara kṣetra tradition narrated in Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse explains the king’s role and the mythic mechanism of protection.