Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

मांडलीयाश्च ये शूद्रास्तेषामर्ककरं त्विदम् । अडालजानां त्रिगुणं गोभुजानां चतुर्गुणम्

Transliteration

māṃḍalīyāśca ye śūdrāsteṣāmarkakaraṃ tvidam | aḍālajānāṃ triguṇaṃ gobhujānāṃ caturguṇam

Translation

മാണ്ടലീയർ എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന ശൂദ്രർക്കു ഇത് ‘അർക്കകരം’ എന്ന നിശ്ചിത നികുതിയാണ്. അടാലജർക്കു അത് ത്രിഗുണം, ഗോഭുജർക്കു ചതുര്ഗുണം എന്നു പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मांडलीयाः: Māṇḍalīya people (a group/class)
• मांडलीयाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांडलीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• ये: who/which
• ये: Visheshya (Correlative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• शूद्राः: Śūdras
• शूद्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• अर्ककरम्: sun-tax / arkakara (a levy)
• अर्ककरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क-कर (प्रातिपदिक; अर्क + कर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोध-बोधक-अव्ययम् (particle: but/indeed)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshya (Deictic/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• अडालजानाम्: of the Aḍālajas (a subgroup)
• अडालजानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अडालज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• त्रिगुणम्: threefold
• त्रिगुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि-गुण (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + गुण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम् (Singular); विशेषणम् (adjectival)

• गोभुजानाम्: of the cow-eaters (gobhujas)
• गोभुजानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो-भुज (प्रातिपदिक; गो + भुज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• चतुर्गुणम्: fourfold
• चतुर्गुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्-गुण (प्रातिपदिक; चतुर् + गुण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम् (Singular); विशेषणम् (adjectival)

Speaker

Deductive: Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/ Ugraśravas) narrating a dharma passage within Brāhma Khaṇḍa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A courtly register scene: scribes recording community levies; elders of Māṇḍalīya, Aḍālaja, and Gobhuja groups presenting tokens; a dharma-judge seated with palm-leaf manuscripts.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍalīya
• Śūdra
• Aḍālaja
• Gobhuja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is presented as orderly governance—social obligations and levies are to be applied in a defined, rule-based manner.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it belongs to the Dharmāraṇya context, emphasizing dharmic administration rather than a site’s praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A fiscal prescription is stated: graded ‘arkakara’ levy/tax rates for specific groups.