Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

न दुर्भिक्षं न च व्याधिर्नाकालमरणं ध्रुवम् । तस्मिञ्छासति धर्मेण न च चौरकृतं भयम्

Transliteration

na durbhikṣaṃ na ca vyādhirnākālamaraṇaṃ dhruvam | tasmiñchāsati dharmeṇa na ca caurakṛtaṃ bhayam

Translation

तस्य राज्ये न दुर्भिक्षं न व्याधिर्न चाकालमरणं ध्रुवम्। धर्मेण शासनात् तत्र चौरकृतं भयमपि नाभवत्॥

Word by Word

• na: not / no
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• durbhikṣam: famine
• durbhikṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durbhikṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

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

• vyādhiḥ: disease
• vyādhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyādhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• akāla-maraṇam: untimely death
• akāla-maraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akāla (प्रातिपदिक) + maraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयभावः: 'अकाले (untimely) मरणम्'

• dhruvam: certain / assured
• dhruvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• tasmin: in him / when he
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• śāsati: rules / governs
• śāsati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śās (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• dharmeṇa: by righteousness / justly
• dharmeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

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

• caura-kṛtam: done by thieves / caused by thieves
• caura-kṛtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caura (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृ-धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: 'चौरेण कृतम्/चौरस्य कृतम्'

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene, well-ordered kingdom: healthy citizens, secure roads, granaries full; the king seated in a dharma-sabhā, dispensing just protection; no thieves, no sickness, no funeral processions.

Characters & Entities

• Hariścandra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Righteous governance (rājadharma) manifests as collective well-being—health, security, and protection from calamity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, the tīrtha narrative is strengthened by portraying the dharmic stature of Hariścandra associated with the region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes the fruits of dharmic rule rather than a specific rite.