Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पंचमो वासुदेवाख्यः षष्ठः प्रद्युम्नसंज्ञकः । सप्तमो विष्णुरुक्तश्चाष्टमो माधव एव च

Transliteration

paṃcamo vāsudevākhyaḥ ṣaṣṭhaḥ pradyumnasaṃjñakaḥ | saptamo viṣṇuruktaścāṣṭamo mādhava eva ca

Translation

ಐದನೆಯದು ವಾಸುದೇವ ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರಿನಿಂದ; ಆರನೆಯದು ಪ್ರದ್ಯುಮ್ನ ಎಂಬ ಸಂಜ್ಞೆಯಿಂದ; ಏಳನೆಯದು ವಿಷ್ಣು ಎಂದು ಉಕ್ತ; ಎಂಟನೆಯದು ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾಗಿ ಮಾಧವ.

Word by Word

• पंचमः: the fifth
• पंचमः: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक

• वासुदेवाख्यः: named Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवाख्यः: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वासुदेव + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘वासुदेव-आख्य’ = named Vāsudeva

• षष्ठः: the sixth
• षष्ठः: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक

• प्रद्युम्नसंज्ञकः: called Pradyumna
• प्रद्युम्नसंज्ञकः: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रद्युम्न + संज्ञक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘प्रद्युम्न-संज्ञक’ = bearing the name Pradyumna

• सप्तमः: the seventh
• सप्तमः: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उक्तः: is called/said
• उक्तः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उक्त (कृदन्त; √वच् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘is said/called’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/coordination)

• अष्टमः: the eighth
• अष्टमः: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक

• माधवः: Mādhava
• माधवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण/emphasis particle)

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

Speaker

Gālava

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Paijavana

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A continuation tableau showing Vāsudeva, Pradyumna, Viṣṇu, and Mādhava as four additional iconographic aspects; central Śāligrāma worship with tulasī; the teacher points as if counting the sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• Pradyumna
• Viṣṇu
• Mādhava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion is structured through canonical divine names, each reflecting a distinct aspect of the same Supreme Viṣṇu.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is specified in this verse; it remains within the Śāligrāma-māhātmya stream of the text.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Name-based worship (nāma-pūjā) and orderly recollection of Viṣṇu forms.