Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

तथा मे संख्यया हीनं धान्यं गोजाविकं महत् । भविष्यति कथं हीनं मयाभीष्टैस्तु रक्षितम्

Transliteration

tathā me saṃkhyayā hīnaṃ dhānyaṃ gojāvikaṃ mahat | bhaviṣyati kathaṃ hīnaṃ mayābhīṣṭaistu rakṣitam

Translation

So too my great stores—grain, cattle, and flocks of goats and sheep—will be reduced in number. How can what has been safeguarded by me and my trusted men become thus diminished?

Word by Word

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

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

• संख्यया: by number/count
• संख्यया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• हीनम्: deficient
• हीनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• धान्यम्: grain
• धान्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धान्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• गोजाविकम्: of cattle and sheep/goats
• गोजाविकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गो + जाविक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण; अर्थः: गो-सम्बन्धि च अजाविक-सम्बन्धि च (cattle-and-sheep/goat related)

• महत्: great/large
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

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

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb: how?)

• हीनम्: deficient
• हीनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

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

• अभीष्टैः: with desired (means/arrangements)
• अभीष्टैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभीष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण

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

• रक्षितम्: protected
• रक्षितम्: Visheshya (Qualified noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु) (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

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

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Granaries and cattle-pens appear in the mind’s eye: heaps of grain, cows and small ruminants; the king fears their dwindling despite prior safeguarding.

Characters & Entities

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

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Material abundance (grain and cattle) is not ultimate; it can fade when dharma is disrupted and destiny turns.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it functions as narrative context within the larger tīrtha-glorification chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is descriptive and reflective, not prescriptive.