Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 38
ये पास्यंति महीभुजः क्षितिमिमां यास्यंति भुक्त्वाखिलां नो याता न तु याति यास्यति न वा केनापि सार्द्धं धरा । यत्किंचिद्भुवि तद्विनाशि सकलं कीर्तिः परं स्थायिनी त्वेवं वै वसुधापि यैरुपकृता लोप्या न सत्कीर्तयः
ye pāsyaṃti mahībhujaḥ kṣitimimāṃ yāsyaṃti bhuktvākhilāṃ no yātā na tu yāti yāsyati na vā kenāpi sārddhaṃ dharā | yatkiṃcidbhuvi tadvināśi sakalaṃ kīrtiḥ paraṃ sthāyinī tvevaṃ vai vasudhāpi yairupakṛtā lopyā na satkīrtayaḥ
Los reyes pueden proteger esta tierra y, tras gozarla por completo, partir; pero la tierra no acompaña a nadie: ni al que se fue, ni al que se va, ni al que irá. Todo cuanto hay en el mundo es perecedero; sólo la fama virtuosa es supremamente perdurable. Por eso, la buena gloria de quienes beneficiaron a la tierra jamás puede borrarse.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Scene: A contemplative king stands before the vast earth/mandala, with fading symbols of power (crown, treasury) contrasted against an inscribed pillar of enduring fame; sages gesture toward dharma as the only lasting legacy.
FAQs
Possessions and rule are temporary; only dharmic fame endures—earned by protecting and benefitting the earth.
No single tīrtha is named; the verse presents a universal rāja-dharma reflection.
No specific rite is prescribed; the practical injunction is to protect the earth and act for public good, securing lasting kīrti.
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