Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

वृत्तिश्च सत्यानृतजा वाणिज्यव्यव हारजा । अशीतिभागमारद्याद्व्याजाद्वार्धुषिकः शते

Transliteration

vṛttiśca satyānṛtajā vāṇijyavyava hārajā | aśītibhāgamāradyādvyājādvārdhuṣikaḥ śate

Translation

उपजीविका सत्य-असत्य मिश्र व्यवहारातून तसेच वाणिज्य-व्यापारातूनही होऊ शकते. पण व्याजात सावकाराने शंभरावर फक्त ऐंशीवा भागच घ्यावा.

Word by Word

• वृत्तिः: livelihood, means of subsistence
• वृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• सत्यानृतजा: arising from truth and untruth (mixed)
• सत्यानृतजा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्य-अनृत-ज (प्रातिपदिक; सत्य + अनृत + ज)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (वृत्तिः इत्यस्य); ‘सत्य’ ‘अनृत’ इत्ययोः द्वन्द्व + ‘ज’ (उत्पन्न)

• वाणिज्यव्यवहारजा: arising from trade and business dealings
• वाणिज्यव्यवहारजा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाणिज्य-व्यवहार-ज (प्रातिपदिक; वाणिज्य + व्यवहार + ज)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (वृत्तिः); वाणिज्य-व्यवहारयोः द्वन्द्व, ततः ‘ज’

• अशीतिभागम्: an eightieth part
• अशीतिभागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशीति-भाग (प्रातिपदिक; अशीति + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (अशीत्या भागः)

• आदद्याद्: should take/receive
• आदद्याद्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• व्याजात्: from interest (as pretext/interest)
• व्याजात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; अपादान (ablative: from/for)

• वार्धुषिकः: a moneylender
• वार्धुषिकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्धुषिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शते: on a hundred (principal)
• शते: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative: on/for a hundred)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A market street near a pilgrimage center: merchants weigh goods, a lender records debts; a dharma-judge or elder instructs on fair interest limits; pilgrims buy necessities without being cheated.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even worldly livelihood and finance must be bounded by dharma; excess interest-taking is restrained for social and spiritual order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse offers dharmic regulation relevant to pilgrims and householders within the Tīrthamāhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A normative rule on lending: interest should be limited to one-eightieth per hundred (aśītibhāga) as vyāja.