Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

वृत्तिश्च सत्यानृतजा वाणिज्यव्यव हारजा । अशीतिभागमारद्याद्व्याजाद्वार्धुषिकः शते

Transliteration

vṛttiśca satyānṛtajā vāṇijyavyava hārajā | aśītibhāgamāradyādvyājādvārdhuṣikaḥ śate

Translation

Der Lebensunterhalt kann aus wahrhaftigen oder gemischten (Wahrheit und Unwahrheit) Geschäften sowie aus Handel und Wandel entstehen. Beim Zinsdarlehen soll der Geldverleiher nicht mehr als den achtzigsten Teil je Hundert als Zins nehmen.

Word by Word

• वृत्तिः: livelihood, means of subsistence
• वृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• सत्यानृतजा: arising from truth and untruth (mixed)
• सत्यानृतजा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्य-अनृत-ज (प्रातिपदिक; सत्य + अनृत + ज)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (वृत्तिः इत्यस्य); ‘सत्य’ ‘अनृत’ इत्ययोः द्वन्द्व + ‘ज’ (उत्पन्न)

• वाणिज्यव्यवहारजा: arising from trade and business dealings
• वाणिज्यव्यवहारजा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाणिज्य-व्यवहार-ज (प्रातिपदिक; वाणिज्य + व्यवहार + ज)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (वृत्तिः); वाणिज्य-व्यवहारयोः द्वन्द्व, ततः ‘ज’

• अशीतिभागम्: an eightieth part
• अशीतिभागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशीति-भाग (प्रातिपदिक; अशीति + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (अशीत्या भागः)

• आदद्याद्: should take/receive
• आदद्याद्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• व्याजात्: from interest (as pretext/interest)
• व्याजात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; अपादान (ablative: from/for)

• वार्धुषिकः: a moneylender
• वार्धुषिकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्धुषिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शते: on a hundred (principal)
• शते: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative: on/for a hundred)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A market street near a pilgrimage center: merchants weigh goods, a lender records debts; a dharma-judge or elder instructs on fair interest limits; pilgrims buy necessities without being cheated.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even worldly livelihood and finance must be bounded by dharma; excess interest-taking is restrained for social and spiritual order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse offers dharmic regulation relevant to pilgrims and householders within the Tīrthamāhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A normative rule on lending: interest should be limited to one-eightieth per hundred (aśītibhāga) as vyāja.