Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

तदा स मूर्ध्न्युपाघ्राय राजा गर्भं प्रजापतिः । बुध इत्यकरोन्नाम तस्य बालस्य धीमतः

Transliteration

tadā sa mūrdhnyupāghrāya rājā garbhaṃ prajāpatiḥ | budha ityakaronnāma tasya bālasya dhīmataḥ

Translation

Bấy giờ Prajāpati, bậc vương chủ, ngửi hương đứa trẻ nơi đỉnh đầu, rồi đặt tên cho cậu bé trí tuệ ấy là “Budha”.

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (temporal adverb)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; pronoun, masculine, nominative singular

• मूर्ध्नि: on the head
• मूर्ध्नि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; masculine, locative singular

• उपाघ्राय: having smelled
• उपाघ्राय: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-आ-घ्रा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्तः (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया; absolutive

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; masculine, nominative singular

• गर्भम्: the child (in the womb), embryo
• गर्भम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; masculine, accusative singular

• प्रजापतिः: Prajāpati (lord of creatures)
• प्रजापतिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; masculine, nominative singular

• बुधः: Budha
• बुधः: Karman (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; masculine, nominative singular (name)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/निगमन-अव्ययम् (quotative particle)

• अकरोत्: made, gave
• अकरोत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; imperfect, 3rd person singular

• नाम: a name
• नाम: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; neuter, accusative singular

• तस्य: of that (boy)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; pronoun, genitive singular

• बालस्य: of the child
• बालस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; masculine, genitive singular

• धीमतः: of the intelligent (one)
• धीमतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धीमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; adjective, masculine, genitive singular (qualifying ‘बालस्य’)

Speaker

Skanda (to Agastya, deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prajāpati/Brahmā lifts the infant, gently smelling the child at the crown of the head in a blessing gesture, then pronounces the name 'Budha'; the assembly’s mood turns from tension to wonder.

Characters & Entities

• Prajāpati (Brahmā)
• Budha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right naming and recognition by a dharmic authority establishes order and auspicious destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is embedded in Kāśī Māhātmya, leading to Budha’s later Kāśī-centered worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a genealogical-narrative verse.