Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

त्रिवर्गसाधनाहेतुः प्राक्प्रजैव महीपतेः । क्षीणवृत्त्यां प्रजायां वै त्रिवर्गः क्षीयते स्वयम्

Transliteration

trivargasādhanāhetuḥ prākprajaiva mahīpateḥ | kṣīṇavṛttyāṃ prajāyāṃ vai trivargaḥ kṣīyate svayam

Translation

For a king, the foremost means to accomplish the three aims of life is the people themselves. When the people’s livelihood is diminished, the three—dharma, artha, and kāma—decline of their own accord.

Word by Word

• त्रिवर्गसाधनाहेतुः: the cause/instrument for achieving the three aims
• त्रिवर्गसाधनाहेतुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + वर्ग + साधन + हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (त्रिवर्गस्य साधनस्य हेतुः)

• प्राक्: first/primarily
• प्राक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्राक् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: formerly/first)

• प्रजा: the subjects
• प्रजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/alone
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (restrictive particle)

• महीपतेः: of the king
• महीपतेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मही + पति)

• क्षीणवृत्त्याम्: when livelihood is diminished
• क्षीणवृत्त्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीण + वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (क्षीणा वृत्तिः यस्याः) / विशेषणपूर्वपद-समास; अधिकरण

• प्रजायाम्: in/among the subjects
• प्रजायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

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

• त्रिवर्गः: the three aims (dharma-artha-kāma)
• त्रिवर्गः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रयः वर्गाः)

• क्षीयते: diminishes
• क्षीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √क्षि (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• स्वयम्: by itself
• स्वयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वतन्त्रार्थक अव्यय (adverb: by itself)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king overseeing granaries, irrigation, and fair markets; the three aims depicted symbolically (dharma as scale/scripture, artha as grain/coins, kāma as harmonious family life) all rooted in thriving prajā.

Characters & Entities

• Trivarga (dharma-artha-kāma)
• Prajā (subjects)
• Mahīpati (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma and prosperity rest on protecting livelihoods; societal well-being sustains all legitimate aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not a tīrtha-verse; it is a rāja-dharma principle delivered within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it emphasizes policy-level dharma: safeguarding the people’s sustenance.