Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54
नित्यं सागरपर्यन्तां यो भुङ्क्ते पृथिवीमिमाम् । तुल्याश्मकाश्चनश्चैव स कृतार्थो महीपतेः
nityaṃ sāgaraparyantāṃ yo bhuṅkte pṛthivīmimām | tulyāśmakāścanaścaiva sa kṛtārtho mahīpateḥ
Selbst wenn ein König Tag für Tag diese vom Ozean umgrenzte Erde genösse—erst wenn ihm Stein und Gold gleich sind, ist ein Herrscher wahrhaft erfüllt.
Narrative voice (contextual; speaker not explicit in this verse)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Mahi-pati (king) addressed in the verse
Scene: A universal monarch stands atop a map-like earth encircled by the ocean; in his open palms lie a lump of stone and a piece of gold, both regarded with equal calm; sages witness his equanimity.
FAQs
Real success for a ruler is inner detachment—equanimity toward wealth—rather than mere worldly dominion.
No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a general dharma-statement within the broader māhātmya.
None; the verse defines the mark of a ‘kṛtārtha’ king as dispassion and equal vision.