Shloka 7
Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 233 — Pandavas Mobilize; Arjuna’s Conciliation and the Onset of Combat
प्रभुनेता विशाखश्न नैगमेय: सुदुश्चर: । सुव्रतो ललितश्वैव बालक्रीडनकप्रिय:,मार्कण्डेयजी बोले--राजन्! आग्नेय, स्कन्द, दीप्तकीर्ति, अनामय, मयूरकेतु, धर्मात्मा, भूतेश, महिषमर्दन, कामजित, कामद, कान्त, सत्यवाक्, भुवनेश्वर, शिशु, शीघ्र, शुचि, चण्ड, दीप्तवर्ण, शुभानन, अमोघ, अनघ, रौद्र, प्रिय, चन्द्रानन, दीप्तशक्ति, प्रशान्तात्मा, भद्गरकृत, कूटमोहन, षष्ठीप्रिय, धर्मात्मा, पवित्र, मातृवत्सल, कन्याभर्ता, विभक्त, स्वाहेय, रेवतीसुत, प्रभु, नेता, विशाख, नैगमेय, सुदुश्चर, सुव्रत, ललित, बाल- क्रीडनकप्रिय, आकाशचारी, ब्रह्मचारी, शूर, शंखणोद्धव, विश्वामित्रप्रिय, देवसेनाप्रिय, वासुदेवप्रिय, प्रिय और प्रियकृत--ये कार्तिकेयजीके दिव्य नाम हैं। जो इनका पाठ करता है, वह धन, कीर्ति तथा स्वर्गलोक प्राप्त कर लेता है; इसमें संशय नहीं है
prabhunetā viśākhaś ca naigameyaḥ suduścaraḥ | suvrato lalitaś caiva bālakrīḍanaka-priyaḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O King, he is the Lord and the Leader; he is Viśākha; he is Naigameya; he is most difficult to overcome. He is steadfast in sacred vows, graceful in form and conduct, and fond of the innocent playthings and games of children.” In context, this verse continues the litany of divine epithets of Kārttikeya (Skanda), presenting him as both a formidable protector and a gentle, auspicious presence—encouraging reverent remembrance as a source of merit and well-being.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Remembrance and recitation of a deity’s epithets is presented as spiritually efficacious: it cultivates reverence, aligns the mind with virtues like discipline (suvrata) and leadership (netā), and invokes protective, auspicious power (suduścara as ‘hard to overcome’).
Mārkaṇḍeya continues enumerating the divine names and qualities of Kārttikeya/Skanda for the king, portraying him as both a supreme commander and a gentle, child-friendly deity, within a larger passage praising the merit of reciting these names.