Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

मंडलेषु च ये शुद्धा वणिग्वृत्तिरताः पराः । सपादलक्षास्ते दत्ता रामशासनपालकाः

Transliteration

maṃḍaleṣu ca ye śuddhā vaṇigvṛttiratāḥ parāḥ | sapādalakṣāste dattā rāmaśāsanapālakāḥ

Translation

സ്വന്തം മണ്ഡലങ്ങളിൽ ശുദ്ധരായി വാണിജ്യവൃത്തിയിൽ നിരതരായ ശ്രേഷ്ഠരെ—സപാദലക്ഷം പേരെ—രാമശാസനം പാലിക്കുന്നവരായി നിയമിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• maṃḍaleṣu: in the regions/circles
• maṃḍaleṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ye: who, those who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• śuddhāḥ: pure
• śuddhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (ye इति)

• vaṇigvṛttiratāḥ: devoted to a merchant’s livelihood
• vaṇigvṛttiratāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaṇij + vṛtti + rata (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समासार्थः ‘वणिग्वृत्तौ रताः’

• parāḥ: excellent, eminent
• parāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• sapādalakṣāḥ: one-and-a-quarter lakhs (in number)
• sapādalakṣāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa + pāda + lakṣa (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-समासार्थः ‘पादेन सह लक्षाः’ (= one and a quarter lakhs)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• dattāḥ: were given/granted
• dattāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (धा॒तु) + kta → datta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (te) इति विशेष्यस्य विधेय-विशेषणम्

• rāmaśāsanapālakāḥ: keepers of Rama’s command
• rāmaśāsanapālakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma + śāsana + pālaka (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘रामस्य शासनस्य पालकाः’

Speaker

Narrator (administrative-dharmic description under Rāma’s rule; speaker not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Provincial circles (mandalas) with orderly marketplaces; a roster of appointed merchant-stewards (one and a quarter lakhs) receiving insignia/charters to uphold Rāma’s ordinance.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• maṇḍala (province)
• merchants (vaṇij)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Social order becomes dharmic when upright communities fulfill their vocations and uphold righteous governance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is cited; the verse continues the Dharmāraṇya Māhātmya narrative about dharmic order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it describes appointment/authorization of upright merchant-groups to uphold Rāma’s edicts.