Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

दशसूनासमश्चक्री दशचक्रिसमो ध्वजी । दश ध्वजिसमा वेश्या दशवेश्यासमो नृपः

Transliteration

daśasūnāsamaścakrī daśacakrisamo dhvajī | daśa dhvajisamā veśyā daśaveśyāsamo nṛpaḥ

Translation

«الكاكري (cakrī) الواحد يعادل عشرة من الذبّاحين؛ والدهفجي (dhvajī) الواحد يعادل عشرة كاكري؛ وبغيّ واحدة تعادل عشرة دهفجي؛ وملك واحد يعادل عشر بغايا.»

Word by Word

• daśa-sūnā-samaḥ: equal to ten slaughterhouses
• daśa-sūnā-samaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (अव्यय/संख्या) + sūnā (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (संख्यापूर्वक) = ‘equal to ten slaughterhouses’; विशेषणम् of ‘cakrī’

• cakrī: a cakrī (wheel/discus-bearer)
• cakrī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘one who has a discus/wheel’ (here: a cakrī)

• daśa-cakri-samaḥ: equal to ten cakrīs
• daśa-cakri-samaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (अव्यय/संख्या) + cakrin (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘equal to ten cakrīs’; विशेषणम् of ‘dhvajī’

• dhvajī: a banner-bearer
• dhvajī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhvajin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘banner-bearer’

• daśa: ten
• daśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Numeral qualifier/संख्या)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: daśa (अव्यय/संख्या)
• Form: अव्यय (संख्यावाचक) = numeral ‘ten’ (used as first member in implied compound)

• dhvaji-samā: equal to a banner-bearer
• dhvaji-samā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhvajin (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘equal to a dhvajī’; विशेषणम् of ‘veśyā’

• veśyā: a courtesan/prostitute
• veśyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veśyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• daśa-veśyā-samaḥ: equal to ten courtesans
• daśa-veśyā-samaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (अव्यय/संख्या) + veśyā (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘equal to ten courtesans’; विशेषणम् of ‘nṛpaḥ’

• nṛpaḥ: a king
• nṛpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣis (implied continuation of the sages’ speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau illustrating the escalating chain: slaughterers, a cakrī, a dhvajī, a courtesan, and a king—shown as symbolic silhouettes or vignettes around a central moral scale.

Characters & Entities

• King (nṛpa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It uses shock-comparisons to stress the intense spiritual peril associated with kingship and, by implication, royal wealth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it is ethical instruction embedded in the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it supports the earlier warning to avoid dangerous forms of wealth and association.