Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

वटिकोवाच । सुतं देहि सुरश्रेष्ठ मम वंशविवर्धनम् । चित्ताह्लादकरं नित्यं सुशीलं विनयान्वितम्

Transliteration

vaṭikovāca | sutaṃ dehi suraśreṣṭha mama vaṃśavivardhanam | cittāhlādakaraṃ nityaṃ suśīlaṃ vinayānvitam

Translation

Vaṭikī thưa: “Ô bậc tối thượng trong chư thiên, xin ban cho con một người con trai để làm hưng thịnh dòng tộc. Nguyện con ấy luôn làm lòng người hoan hỷ, có hạnh kiểm tốt và đầy đủ đức khiêm cung.”

Word by Word

• vaṭikā: Vaṭikā (name)
• vaṭikā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्तृ-नाम (speaker)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sutam: a son
• sutam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• dehi: give
• dehi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• suraśreṣṭha: O best of the gods
• suraśreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सुराणां श्रेष्ठः)

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vaṃśa-vivardhanam: one who increases (my) lineage
• vaṃśa-vivardhanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaṃśa + vivardhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मविशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वंशस्य विवर्धनम्)

• citta-āhlāda-karam: delighting the mind
• citta-āhlāda-karam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citta + āhlāda + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मविशेषण; तत्पुरुष (चित्तस्य आह्लादं करोति)

• nityam: ever/always
• nityam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मविशेषण (अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः)

• suśīlam: of good conduct
• suśīlam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + śīla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मविशेषण; कर्मधारय (सु-शीलः)

• vinaya-anvitam: endowed with humility/discipline
• vinaya-anvitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vinaya + anvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मविशेषण; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (विनयेन अन्वितम्)

Speaker

Vaṭikī (as stated in the verse; likely the same woman earlier identified as Piṅgalā in this excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: मल्लिङ्ग-वापी / मल्लिङ्ग-तीर्थ (implied)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śrī Mahādeva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted woman (Vaṭikī) stands with folded hands before Mahādeva near a stone-lined sacred tank; the atmosphere is intimate and prayerful, emphasizing humility and longing for a virtuous son.

Characters & Entities

• Vaṭikī
• Śiva (addressed as suraśreṣṭha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Righteous desire focuses not merely on having a child, but on receiving virtuous progeny who sustains dharma and lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha-name is stated in this verse; it occurs within the kṣetra-centered Śiva-boon episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a boon-request following tapas and Śiva worship.