Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

नागराणां तु विप्राणां सोमेशपुरवासिनाम् । तस्मान्नाम मया दत्तं नागरादित्यमेव हि

Transliteration

nāgarāṇāṃ tu viprāṇāṃ someśapuravāsinām | tasmānnāma mayā dattaṃ nāgarādityameva hi

Translation

സോമേശപുരത്തിൽ വസിക്കുന്ന നാഗര ബ്രാഹ്മണന്മാരുമായി ബന്ധമുള്ളതിനാൽ ഞാൻ ഇതിന് ‘നാഗരാദിത്യ’ എന്ന നാമം നിശ്ചയമായി നൽകിയിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• नागराणाम्: of the citizens/Nāgaras
• नागराणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थ निपात (but/indeed)

• विप्राणाम्: of the brāhmaṇas
• विप्राणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• सोमेशपुरवासिनाम्: of those dwelling in Someśapura
• सोमेशपुरवासिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमेशपुर + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; समासः—सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सोमेशपुरे वासिनः)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; पञ्चमी एकवचनार्थे ‘therefore/from that’

• नाम: a name
• नाम: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन

• दत्तम्: (was) given
• दत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि ‘दत्तम् (अभूत्)’

• नागरादित्यम्: Nāgarāditya (name/title)
• नागरादित्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर + आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (नागरः आदित्यः / नागराणाम् आदित्यः)

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

• हि: for/indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from immediate context of the adhyāya dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgarāditya (Nāgarārka)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator explains the naming of the solar deity: ‘Nāgarāditya’ because of the Nāgara brāhmaṇas residing in Someśapura; the shrine and community are shown together.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgara brāhmaṇas
• Someśapura
• Nāgarāditya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrthas preserve living community memory: a deity’s name can encode local custodianship and sacred residence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Someśapura in the Prabhāsa region, associated with the Nāgarāditya image.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse explains the naming (nāma-dāna) of the deity/image.