Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 5

Chapter 153 — Brahmacarya-āśrama-dharma

The Dharma of the Student Stage

Devanagari script

गुप्तदासात्मकं नाम प्रशस्तं वैश्यशूद्रयोः शर्मान्तं ब्रह्मणस्योक्तं वर्मान्तं क्षत्रियस्य च

Transliteration

guptadāsātmakaṃ nāma praśastaṃ vaiśyaśūdrayoḥ śarmāntaṃ brahmaṇasyoktaṃ varmāntaṃ kṣatriyasya ca

Translation

वैश्य और शूद्र के लिए ‘-गुप्त’ या ‘-दास’ से युक्त नाम प्रशस्त है। ब्राह्मण के लिए ‘-शर्मन्’ तथा क्षत्रिय के लिए ‘-वर्मन्’ अंत वाला नाम कहा गया है।

Word by Word

• gupta-dāsa-ātmakam: of the type “gupta/dāsa”
• gupta-dāsa-ātmakam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gupta + dāsa + ātmaka (प्रातिपदिक + प्रातिपदिक + प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa (multi-member): 'having the nature/form of (names ending with) gupta/dāsa'

• nāma: a name
• nāma: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• praśastam: recommended/approved
• praśastam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: praśasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); predicate adjective qualifying nāma

• vaiśya-śūdrayoḥ: of the Vaiśya and Śūdra
• vaiśya-śūdrayoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśya + śūdra (प्रातिपदिक + प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Dual (द्विवचन); dvandva: 'of the Vaiśya and Śūdra'

• śarmāntam: ending in “śarma”
• śarmāntam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śarman + anta (प्रातिपदिक + प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); 'ending with śarma'

• brahmaṇasya: of a Brahmin
• brahmaṇasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• uktam: is stated
• uktam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vac (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन)

• varmāntam: ending in “varma”
• varmāntam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: varman + anta (प्रातिपदिक + प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); 'ending with varma'

• kṣatriyasya: of a Kshatriya
• kṣatriyasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठī), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)

Speaker

Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha, Agni Purāṇa narrative frame)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: brahmaṇasyoktaṃ = brahmaṇasya uktaṃ; vaiśyaśūdrayoḥ treated as dvandva compound in genitive dual.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśya
• Śūdra
• Brāhmaṇa
• Kṣatriya

FAQs

What technical or ritual knowledge (Vidya) is imparted in this verse?

It gives a practical onomastic rule: recommended name-endings (suffix patterns) aligned with varṇa—“-śarman” for Brāhmaṇas, “-varman” for Kṣatriyas, and “-gupta/-dāsa” for Vaiśyas and Śūdras.

How does this verse contribute to the 'Encyclopedic' nature of the Agni Purana?

Beyond theology, the Agni Purāṇa catalogs applied norms of society—here, a Dharmaśāstra-style guideline on personal naming—showing its coverage of governance, social custom, and saṃskāra-related conventions.

What is the spiritual or karmic significance of this specific instruction?

By aligning a person’s name with prescribed social-dharmic conventions, the text frames naming as a harmonizing saṃskāra that supports orderly conduct (dharma) and auspicious identity within one’s duties.