Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

धनिनां छिद्रकृत्प्रोक्तमेतत्स्थानचतुष्टयम् । पार्थिवानां विशेषेण मम वाक्या द्व्रज द्रुतम्

Transliteration

dhanināṃ chidrakṛtproktametatsthānacatuṣṭayam | pārthivānāṃ viśeṣeṇa mama vākyā dvraja drutam

Translation

செல்வோரின் ‘சித்ரம்’ உருவாக்குவதாக இந்நான்கு நிலையங்கள் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளன—குறிப்பாக அரசர்களுக்காக. என் வாக்கின்படி நீ விரைவாக அங்கே செல்।

Word by Word

• धनिनाम्: of the rich
• धनिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; genitive plural

• छिद्रकृत्: fault-finder; one who creates a flaw
• छिद्रकृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छिद्र + कृत् (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (उपपद-तत्पुरुषः) 'छिद्रं करोति' = one who makes/finds faults

• प्रोक्तम्: said; declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+√वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; predicate with etat...catuṣṭayam

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; demonstrative adjective qualifying स्थानचतुष्टयम्

• स्थानचतुष्टयम्: the set of four places
• स्थानचतुष्टयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान + चतुष्टय (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) 'स्थानानां चतुष्टयम्' = set of four places

• पार्थिवानाम्: of kings; of earthly rulers
• पार्थिवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; genitive plural

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचन-प्रयोगेण अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषणम्; instrumental used adverbially 'especially'

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; genitive singular

• वाक्यात्: from my word; by my command
• वाक्यात्: Hetu (Cause/Authority/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; ablative singular (reading normalized from 'वाक्या')

• व्रज: go
• व्रज: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थक), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; imperative 2nd sg (IAST 'dvraja' normalized to 'vraja')

• द्रुतम्: quickly
• द्रुतम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्रुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Pitāmaha (Brahmā)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā concludes with authority: these are the four vulnerability-making stations for the wealthy, especially kings; he commands immediate action—an emphatic closure to the counsel.

Characters & Entities

• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• dhanin (wealthy)
• pārthiva (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

For rulers and the prosperous, small lapses become major ‘breaches’; dharma demands heightened restraint and awareness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it frames a cautionary teaching within the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; it summarizes the ‘four places’ (sthāna-catuṣṭaya) connected to the teaching.