Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5
न हस्तिनो न पादाता न चाश्वास्तस्य भूपतेः । न रथाश्च महाराज न कोशाश्च तथाविधाः
na hastino na pādātā na cāśvāstasya bhūpateḥ | na rathāśca mahārāja na kośāśca tathāvidhāḥ
ذلك الملك لم تكن له فيلة ولا مشاة ولا حتى خيل؛ ويا أيها الملك العظيم، لم يكن يملك عرباتٍ حربية ولا خزائنَ على النحو المعتاد.
Pulastya
Tirtha: Arbuda (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Mahārāja/Rājan (the addressed king in the frame)
Scene: Ajapāla is shown as a king without elephants, horses, infantry, chariots, or conventional treasury—yet his rule stands; the court appears simple, almost ascetic.
FAQs
True authority in dharma can be portrayed as non-dependent on force or wealth, preparing a contrast between power and righteousness.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it continues the Arbuda-centered itihāsa that supports the section’s sacred geography.
None; it is descriptive, emphasizing the king’s lack of conventional military and fiscal apparatus.