Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

उन्नतास्तालमात्रेण तेजोवीर्यसमन्विताः । चक्रुश्च कृषिकर्माणि वैश्याश्चैवान्नलिप्सया

Transliteration

unnatāstālamātreṇa tejovīryasamanvitāḥ | cakruśca kṛṣikarmāṇi vaiśyāścaivānnalipsayā

Translation

ते एक तालभर उंच, तेज-वीर्याने युक्त होते; आणि वैश्य अन्न-उपज मिळविण्याच्या इच्छेने शेतीची कामे करीत.

Word by Word

• unnatāḥ: tall, elevated
• unnatāḥ: Karta (Qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: unnata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• tāla-mātreṇa: by (the measure of) a tāla (span)
• tāla-mātreṇa: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāla (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः 'तालेन मात्रम्' = 'by a tāla-measure'

• tejo-vīrya-samanvitāḥ: endowed with vigor and strength
• tejo-vīrya-samanvitāḥ: Karta (Qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tejas (प्रातिपदिक) + vīrya (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः 'तेजसा वीर्येण च समन्विताः' (end-member adjective)

• cakruḥ: did, performed
• cakruḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु: कृ)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/conjunction)

• kṛṣi-karmāṇi: agricultural works
• kṛṣi-karmāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः 'कृषेः कर्माणि'

• vaiśyāḥ: Vaiśyas (merchant/agricultural class)
• vaiśyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/conjunction)

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण/particle): 'only/indeed'

• anna-lipsayā: out of desire for food
• anna-lipsayā: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक) + lipsā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण/हेतु), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः 'अन्नस्य लिप्सा' = desire for food

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; exact speaker not stated in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tall, radiant people in a fertile landscape; vaiśyas ploughing and sowing with strong oxen, granaries full, fields lush—an image of dharmic abundance.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśya
• Kṛṣi (agriculture)
• Anna (grain/food)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Society functions through dharma-aligned duties; productive work like agriculture sustains life and supports religious activity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular site; the verse describes societal conditions within the narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it references livelihood-duty (kṛṣi) rather than a ritual.