Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

संख्याहीनस्तथा कोशस्तादृङ्मे बहुरत्नभाक् । कस्य यास्यति संभोगं मया हीनस्तु रक्षितः

Transliteration

saṃkhyāhīnastathā kośastādṛṅme bahuratnabhāk | kasya yāsyati saṃbhogaṃ mayā hīnastu rakṣitaḥ

Translation

And my treasury too—once filled with many jewels—will be diminished. Deprived of me, under whose protection will it find security and enjoyment?

Word by Word

• संख्याहीनः: lacking in number
• संख्याहीनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संख्या + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण

• कोशः: treasury/store
• कोशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तादृक्: such/like that
• तादृक्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तादृश्/तादृक् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (pronominal adjective)

• मे: my
• मे: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• बहुरत्नभाक्: possessing many jewels
• बहुरत्नभाक्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु + रत्न + भाज् (धातु) (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); भाक् = भाज्-धातोः क्विप्-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun), विशेषण

• कस्य: of whom? / whose?
• कस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular); प्रश्नवाचक

• यास्यति: will go
• यास्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• संभोगम्: enjoyment/possession
• संभोगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संभोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrumental/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• हीनः: deprived/without
• हीनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• रक्षितः: protected/guarded
• रक्षितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु) (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unnamed king (rājā) lamenting consequences of a curse (śāpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A jewel-filled treasury chamber imagined as fading—chests half-open, gems dimmed—while the king worries about protection and enjoyment without his guardianship.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha (implied by later verses)
• Vāsiṣṭhas (implied by later verses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wealth is unstable and dependent on righteous protection; without dharmic leadership, prosperity declines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse; it supports the surrounding tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse focuses on the king’s anxiety over protection and decline of resources.