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

ರಾಜನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಹೇ ಮಹಾಮತೇ, ನೀವು ಅಷ್ಟಕುಲೋದ್ಭವನ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠತೆಯನ್ನು ಹೇಳಿದರು; ಆದರೆ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ನಾಗರ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರಲ್ಲಿ ಅದು ಏಕೆ? ನನಗೆ ತಿಳಿಸಿ।

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.