Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अजन्मानेकजन्मा च त्वनामास्फुटनामभृत् । निरालंबोऽखिलालंबो निर्गुणोपि गुणास्पदम्

Transliteration

ajanmānekajanmā ca tvanāmāsphuṭanāmabhṛt | nirālaṃbo'khilālaṃbo nirguṇopi guṇāspadam

Translation

ಅಜನ್ಮನಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಅನೇಕ ಜನ್ಮಗಳವನು ಹೇಗೆ? ನಾಮರಹಿತನಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟವಾದ ಅನಂತ ನಾಮಗಳನ್ನು ಧರಿಸುವವನು ಹೇಗೆ? ನಿರಾಲಂಬನಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಎಲ್ಲರ ಆಧಾರ ಹೇಗೆ? ನಿರ್ಗುಣನಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಗುಣಗಳ ಆಶ್ರಯಸ್ಥಾನ ಹೇಗೆ?

Word by Word

• अजन्मा: unborn
• अजन्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- (नञ्) + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नञ्-विशेषण (unborn)

• अनेक-जन्मा: having many births
• अनेक-जन्मा: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक) + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (अनेकानि जन्मानि यस्य)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (and)

• त्वत्: of you
• त्वत्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (of you)

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karma (Object within compound sense/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• अस्फुट-नाम-भृत्: bearing an indistinct/ineffable name
• अस्फुट-नाम-भृत्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्फुट (प्रातिपदिक) + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक) + भृ (धातु) → भृत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘भृत्’ (क्विप्/कृदन्त: bearer) तत्पुरुष (अस्फुटं नाम बिभर्ति)

• निरालम्बः: supportless
• निरालम्बः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + आलम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (without support)

• अखिल-आलम्बः: support of all
• अखिल-आलम्बः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक) + आलम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (अखिलस्य आलम्बः/आधारः यस्य)

• निर्गुणः: without attributes
• निर्गुणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (without qualities)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (even/also)

• गुण-आस्पदम्: abode of qualities
• गुण-आस्पदम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominal/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + आस्पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (गुणानाम् आस्पदम्)

Speaker

Agastya (inquiring, addressed to Skanda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada-tīrtha (context)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṣaṇmukha (Skanda) addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic cosmic diagram rendered as art: Viṣṇu as a luminous axis (support of all), with multiple avatāra silhouettes around Him; a ring of sacred names inscribed; below, the river-ford as a concrete ‘ālambana’ for pilgrims.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma holds together paradoxes: the Supreme is beyond all attributes yet compassionately becomes accessible through names, forms, and descents.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Pañcanada Tīrtha context in Kāśī continues; the verse frames the kind of divine manifestation that sanctifies the place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly.