Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

नित्यं सागरपर्यन्तां यो भुङ्क्ते पृथिवीमिमाम् । तुल्याश्मकाश्चनश्चैव स कृतार्थो महीपतेः

Transliteration

nityaṃ sāgaraparyantāṃ yo bhuṅkte pṛthivīmimām | tulyāśmakāścanaścaiva sa kṛtārtho mahīpateḥ

Translation

Ainda que um rei desfrute, dia após dia, desta terra cercada pelo oceano, somente quando para ele pedra e ouro se tornarem iguais é que o soberano estará verdadeiramente realizado.

Word by Word

• nityam: always
• nityam: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभाव (adverbial accusative)

• sāgara-paryantām: bounded by the ocean
• sāgara-paryantām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāgara (प्रातिपदिक) + paryanta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (सागरः पर्यन्तः यस्याः)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• bhuṅkte: enjoys/rules
• bhuṅkte: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• pṛthivīm: the earth
• pṛthivīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; कर्म

• imām: this
• imām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण

• tulya-aśma-kāḥ: (are) like stones / equal to stones
• tulya-aśma-kāḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tulya (प्रातिपदिक) + aśman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (तुल्याः अश्मानः इव/तुल्याश्मकाः = stone-like/equal to stones)

• cana: indeed/at all
• cana: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cana (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle, often with negation; here intensifier)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: only/indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kṛta-arthaḥ: fulfilled/successful
• kṛta-arthaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (कृतः अर्थः यस्य = successful/fulfilled)

• mahīpateḥ: of the king
• mahīpateḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahi-pati (king) addressed in the verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A universal monarch stands atop a map-like earth encircled by the ocean; in his open palms lie a lump of stone and a piece of gold, both regarded with equal calm; sages witness his equanimity.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Real success for a ruler is inner detachment—equanimity toward wealth—rather than mere worldly dominion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a general dharma-statement within the broader māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse defines the mark of a ‘kṛtārtha’ king as dispassion and equal vision.