Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

राजोवाच । सर्वेषां देहि नां नाम जायते पितृमातृजम् । किमेतत्कारणं येन सर्वे यूयं स्वनामकाः

Transliteration

rājovāca | sarveṣāṃ dehi nāṃ nāma jāyate pitṛmātṛjam | kimetatkāraṇaṃ yena sarve yūyaṃ svanāmakāḥ

Translation

Le roi dit : «Pour tous les êtres incarnés, le nom naît du père et de la mère. Quelle est donc la raison pour laquelle vous portez tous des noms que vous vous êtes faits vous-mêmes ?»

Word by Word

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Masculine, nominative singular)

• उवाच: said/spoke
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, बहुवचन, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive plural)

• देहिनाम्: of embodied beings
• देहिनाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, बहुवचन, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Masculine, genitive plural)

• नाम: a name
• नाम: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Neuter, nominative singular)

• जायते: is born/arises
• जायते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (3rd person singular, middle)

• पितृमातृजम्: born of father and mother
• पितृमातृजम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृ + मातृ + ज (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √जन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Neuter, nominative singular); ‘ज’ = ‘born from’ (derivative)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (प्रश्न/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (interrogative)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (this)

• कारणम्: cause/reason
• कारणम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Neuter, nominative singular)

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental singular: ‘by which’)

• सर्वे: all (of you)
• सर्वे: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, बहुवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Masculine, nominative plural)

• यूयम्: you (plural)
• यूयम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, बहुवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative plural)

• स्वनामकाः: having self-made names / named after yourselves
• स्वनामकाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + नामक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, बहुवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Masculine, nominative plural)

Speaker

The King (Rājā)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame); immediate dialogue: king ↔ pretas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king raises his hand in inquiry, face composed yet astonished; the pretas stand before him; the moment is intellectual and investigative rather than purely emotional.

Characters & Entities

• The King

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human social identity is inherited, but karmic identity is earned; the king probes how deeds can define a being more than lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a narrative question within a larger tīrthamāhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a doctrinal inquiry about naming and causality.