Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

राजोवाच । यदेतद्भवता प्रोक्तं श्रैष्ठ्यमष्टकुलोद्भवम् । सर्वेषां नागराणां च तत्किं वद महामते

Transliteration

rājovāca | yadetadbhavatā proktaṃ śraiṣṭhyamaṣṭakulodbhavam | sarveṣāṃ nāgarāṇāṃ ca tatkiṃ vada mahāmate

Translation

Raja berkata, “Engkau telah menyatakan keutamaan orang yang lahir dari Aṣṭakula. Namun di antara semua Brāhmaṇa Nāgara, mengapa demikian? Wahai resi berhati luhur, jelaskan kepadaku.”

Word by Word

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object of ‘say’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun: “which/that”)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Apposition (to यत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक (demonstrative)

• भवता: by you
• भवता: Karta (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचन (Instrumental singular: “by you”)

• प्रोक्तम्: spoken
• प्रोक्तम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of यत्/एतत्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) + क्त (उक्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मणि (said/spoken)

• श्रैष्ठ्यम्: superiority/excellence
• श्रैष्ठ्यम्: Karma (Object/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रैष्ठ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन

• अष्टकुलोद्भवम्: (the) excellence of being born from eight lineages
• अष्टकुलोद्भवम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of श्रैष्ठ्यम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + कुल (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अष्टकुलात् उद्भवम्)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी बहुवचन

• नागराणाम्: of the citizens/nāgaras
• नागराणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object of ‘say’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक (that)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् मतिः यस्य)

Speaker

King (Rājā)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāmati ṛṣi (sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king, hands folded, questions a serene sage seated on kuśa; attendants and manuscripts nearby; the atmosphere is contemplative, preparing for an explanatory legend.

Characters & Entities

• Aṣṭakulodbhava
• Nāgara (Nāgaras)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma encourages inquiry: even established ritual claims should be understood through reasons, not accepted blindly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of a tīrtha-glorification discourse in Nāgara Khaṇḍa, but it does not name a particular pilgrimage spot.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a question seeking the rationale behind appointing Aṣṭakulodbhavas for major rites.