Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45
अर्थेभ्यो हि विवृद्धेभ्यः संभृतेभ्यस्ततस्ततः । प्रवर्तंते क्रियाः सर्वाः पर्वतेभ्यो यथापगाः
arthebhyo hi vivṛddhebhyaḥ saṃbhṛtebhyastatastataḥ | pravartaṃte kriyāḥ sarvāḥ parvatebhyo yathāpagāḥ
Denn aus dem Reichtum—wenn er wächst und von überallher zusammengetragen wird—kommen alle Handlungen in Gang, wie Flüsse aus den Bergen hervorströmen.
Kṣatriya (narrative context within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)
Scene: A symbolic landscape: a great mountain with many streams becoming rivers, while in the foreground a patron’s wealth ‘sets in motion’ works—building a ghat, feeding pilgrims, sponsoring rituals.
FAQs
Wealth, when rightly obtained and increased, becomes a practical support for dharmic works—rites, gifts, and duties—just as mountains naturally give rise to rivers.
The broader passage sits in the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya, in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya setting, though this verse itself teaches a general dharma principle.
No specific rite is prescribed; it states a principle that all ‘kriyā’ (including ritual and charity) is practically propelled by resources.