Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

राजोवाच । सर्वेषां देहि नां नाम जायते पितृमातृजम् । किमेतत्कारणं येन सर्वे यूयं स्वनामकाः

Transliteration

rājovāca | sarveṣāṃ dehi nāṃ nāma jāyate pitṛmātṛjam | kimetatkāraṇaṃ yena sarve yūyaṃ svanāmakāḥ

Translation

พระราชาตรัสว่า: สรรพสัตว์ผู้มีร่างกายย่อมได้ชื่อจากบิดามารดา แล้วเหตุใดพวกเจ้าทั้งหมดจึงมีชื่อที่ตั้งขึ้นเอง?

Word by Word

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Masculine, nominative singular)

• उवाच: said/spoke
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, बहुवचन, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive plural)

• देहिनाम्: of embodied beings
• देहिनाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, बहुवचन, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Masculine, genitive plural)

• नाम: a name
• नाम: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Neuter, nominative singular)

• जायते: is born/arises
• जायते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (3rd person singular, middle)

• पितृमातृजम्: born of father and mother
• पितृमातृजम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृ + मातृ + ज (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √जन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Neuter, nominative singular); ‘ज’ = ‘born from’ (derivative)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (प्रश्न/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (interrogative)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (this)

• कारणम्: cause/reason
• कारणम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Neuter, nominative singular)

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental singular: ‘by which’)

• सर्वे: all (of you)
• सर्वे: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, बहुवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Masculine, nominative plural)

• यूयम्: you (plural)
• यूयम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, बहुवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative plural)

• स्वनामकाः: having self-made names / named after yourselves
• स्वनामकाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + नामक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, बहुवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Masculine, nominative plural)

Speaker

The King (Rājā)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame); immediate dialogue: king ↔ pretas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king raises his hand in inquiry, face composed yet astonished; the pretas stand before him; the moment is intellectual and investigative rather than purely emotional.

Characters & Entities

• The King

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human social identity is inherited, but karmic identity is earned; the king probes how deeds can define a being more than lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a narrative question within a larger tīrthamāhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a doctrinal inquiry about naming and causality.