Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

दशसूनासमश्चक्री दशचक्रिसमो ध्वजी । दश ध्वजिसमा वेश्या दशवेश्यासमो नृपः

Transliteration

daśasūnāsamaścakrī daśacakrisamo dhvajī | daśa dhvajisamā veśyā daśaveśyāsamo nṛpaḥ

Translation

One ‘cakrī’ is equal to ten slaughterers; one ‘dhvajī’ equals ten ‘cakrī’; one prostitute equals ten ‘dhvajīs’; and one king equals ten prostitutes.

Word by Word

• daśa-sūnā-samaḥ: equal to ten slaughterhouses
• daśa-sūnā-samaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (अव्यय/संख्या) + sūnā (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (संख्यापूर्वक) = ‘equal to ten slaughterhouses’; विशेषणम् of ‘cakrī’

• cakrī: a cakrī (wheel/discus-bearer)
• cakrī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘one who has a discus/wheel’ (here: a cakrī)

• daśa-cakri-samaḥ: equal to ten cakrīs
• daśa-cakri-samaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (अव्यय/संख्या) + cakrin (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘equal to ten cakrīs’; विशेषणम् of ‘dhvajī’

• dhvajī: a banner-bearer
• dhvajī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhvajin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘banner-bearer’

• daśa: ten
• daśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Numeral qualifier/संख्या)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: daśa (अव्यय/संख्या)
• Form: अव्यय (संख्यावाचक) = numeral ‘ten’ (used as first member in implied compound)

• dhvaji-samā: equal to a banner-bearer
• dhvaji-samā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhvajin (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘equal to a dhvajī’; विशेषणम् of ‘veśyā’

• veśyā: a courtesan/prostitute
• veśyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veśyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• daśa-veśyā-samaḥ: equal to ten courtesans
• daśa-veśyā-samaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (अव्यय/संख्या) + veśyā (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘equal to ten courtesans’; विशेषणम् of ‘nṛpaḥ’

• nṛpaḥ: a king
• nṛpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣis (implied continuation of the sages’ speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau illustrating the escalating chain: slaughterers, a cakrī, a dhvajī, a courtesan, and a king—shown as symbolic silhouettes or vignettes around a central moral scale.

Characters & Entities

• King (nṛpa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It uses shock-comparisons to stress the intense spiritual peril associated with kingship and, by implication, royal wealth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it is ethical instruction embedded in the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it supports the earlier warning to avoid dangerous forms of wealth and association.