Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

षट्त्रिंशच्च सहस्राणि गोभुजा जज्ञिरे वराः । सपादलक्षा वणिजो दत्ता मांडलिकाभिधाः

Transliteration

ṣaṭtriṃśacca sahasrāṇi gobhujā jajñire varāḥ | sapādalakṣā vaṇijo dattā māṃḍalikābhidhāḥ

Translation

Und es entstanden sechsunddreißigtausend vortreffliche Gobhūjas. Und ein Lakh und ein Viertel an Kaufleuten wurde als Zugehörige zugewiesen, bekannt unter dem Namen „Māṃḍalikas“.

Word by Word

• ṣaṭtriṃśat: thirty-six
• ṣaṭtriṃśat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṭ + triṃśat (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; द्विगुसमासः (षट् + त्रिंशत् = 36); ‘सहस्राणि’ इति विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (and)

• sahasrāṇi: thousands
• sahasrāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• gobhujāḥ: cow-enjoyers/keepers (those who had cattle)
• gobhujāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go + bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (गवां भुजाः/भोजकाः)

• jajñire: were born/arose
• jajñire: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• varāḥ: excellent
• varāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘गobhujāḥ’ इति विशेषणम्

• sapādalakṣāḥ: one and a quarter lakhs (125,000)
• sapādalakṣāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + pāda + lakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (सपादं लक्षं = one and a quarter lakhs)

• vaṇijaḥ: merchants
• vaṇijaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṇij (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• dattāḥ: were given
• dattāḥ: Karmaṇi-bhāva (Predicate participle/कर्मणि भावः)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• māṃḍalikābhidhāḥ: called ‘māṇḍalikas’
• māṃḍalikābhidhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: māṃḍalika + abhidhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (माण्डलिक इति अभिधा येषाम्)

Speaker

Narrator (specific speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic tableau: herds and agrarian workers symbolizing ‘36,000 gobhūjas’; a bustling bazaar of ‘1.25 lakh’ merchants labeled Māṇḍalikas; officials distribute tokens/charters; the sacred center (forest-āśrama/temple) anchors the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Gobhūja
• Māṃḍalika
• Vaṇij (Merchants)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The passage underscores scale and organization in dharmic patronage, portraying ordered societal arrangements within the narrative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it continues the Dharmāraṇya episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; it reports numbers connected with giving/assigning (dāna/niyoga) in the narrative.