Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54
नित्यं सागरपर्यन्तां यो भुङ्क्ते पृथिवीमिमाम् । तुल्याश्मकाश्चनश्चैव स कृतार्थो महीपतेः
nityaṃ sāgaraparyantāṃ yo bhuṅkte pṛthivīmimām | tulyāśmakāścanaścaiva sa kṛtārtho mahīpateḥ
நாள்தோறும் கடல் எல்லையுடைய இப்பூமியை அரசன் அனுபவித்தாலும், அவனுக்கு கல்லும் பொன்னும் ஒன்றெனத் தோன்றினாலே அவன் உண்மையில் நிறைவு பெற்றவன்।
Narrative voice (contextual; speaker not explicit in this verse)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Mahi-pati (king) addressed in the verse
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
Real success for a ruler is inner detachment—equanimity toward wealth—rather than mere worldly dominion.
No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a general dharma-statement within the broader māhātmya.
None; the verse defines the mark of a ‘kṛtārtha’ king as dispassion and equal vision.