Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

अजोऽग्निर्वरुणो मेषः सूर्यश्च पृथिवी विराट् । धेनुर्वत्सश्च सोमो वै विक्रीयैतान्न सिध्यति

Transliteration

ajo'gnirvaruṇo meṣaḥ sūryaśca pṛthivī virāṭ | dhenurvatsaśca somo vai vikrīyaitānna sidhyati

Translation

Ziege, Feuer, Varuṇa, Widder, Sonne, Erde, das kosmische Wesen (Virāṭ), Kuh und Kalb sowie Soma—wer solche heiligen Wesen und Prinzipien verkauft, erlangt niemals wahren Erfolg.

Word by Word

• अजः: Aja (a deity/name)
• अजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• अग्निः: Agni (fire-god)
• अग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वरुणः: Varuṇa
• वरुणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• मेषः: Meṣa (ram/sign)
• मेषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सूर्यः: the Sun
• सूर्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पृथिवी: Earth
• पृथिवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• विराट्: Virāṭ (cosmic being)
• विराट्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विराज्/विराट् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• धेनुः: cow
• धेनुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वत्सः: calf
• वत्सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• सोमः: Soma
• सोमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• विक्रीय: having sold
• विक्रीय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + क्री (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• एतान्: these (ones)
• एतान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• सिध्यति: succeeds/is accomplished
• सिध्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सिध् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative mode)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic procession of deities and sacred principles—Agni as flame, Varuṇa with water-pot, Soma as lunar nectar, Sūrya radiant, Pṛthivī as goddess, Virāṭ as cosmic form—while a merchant’s act of ‘sale’ is shown as futile.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Varuṇa
• Sūrya
• Pṛthivī
• Virāṭ
• Soma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Treat sacred life-sustainers and divine principles as non-commodities; profiting by selling them obstructs dharmic accomplishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tirtha is named in this verse; it teaches general Purāṇic dharma within the Kaumārikā-khaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition/ethical rule is implied: do not sell what is dharmically sacred (especially the cow-calf and other sanctified entities).