Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

नित्यं सागरपर्यन्तां यो भुङ्क्ते पृथिवीमिमाम् । तुल्याश्मकाश्चनश्चैव स कृतार्थो महीपतेः

Transliteration

nityaṃ sāgaraparyantāṃ yo bhuṅkte pṛthivīmimām | tulyāśmakāścanaścaiva sa kṛtārtho mahīpateḥ

Translation

ولو أن ملكًا تمتع يومًا بعد يوم بهذه الأرض المحاطة بالمحيط، فإنما يكون حقًّا مُنجَزَ المقصد حين يستوي عنده الحجر والذهب؛ عندئذٍ وحده يكتمل شأن الحاكم.

Word by Word

• nityam: always
• nityam: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभाव (adverbial accusative)

• sāgara-paryantām: bounded by the ocean
• sāgara-paryantām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāgara (प्रातिपदिक) + paryanta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (सागरः पर्यन्तः यस्याः)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• bhuṅkte: enjoys/rules
• bhuṅkte: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• pṛthivīm: the earth
• pṛthivīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; कर्म

• imām: this
• imām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण

• tulya-aśma-kāḥ: (are) like stones / equal to stones
• tulya-aśma-kāḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tulya (प्रातिपदिक) + aśman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (तुल्याः अश्मानः इव/तुल्याश्मकाः = stone-like/equal to stones)

• cana: indeed/at all
• cana: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cana (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle, often with negation; here intensifier)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: only/indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kṛta-arthaḥ: fulfilled/successful
• kṛta-arthaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (कृतः अर्थः यस्य = successful/fulfilled)

• mahīpateḥ: of the king
• mahīpateḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahi-pati (king) addressed in the verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A universal monarch stands atop a map-like earth encircled by the ocean; in his open palms lie a lump of stone and a piece of gold, both regarded with equal calm; sages witness his equanimity.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Real success for a ruler is inner detachment—equanimity toward wealth—rather than mere worldly dominion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a general dharma-statement within the broader māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse defines the mark of a ‘kṛtārtha’ king as dispassion and equal vision.