Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

समर्घं धान्यमुद्धत्य महर्घं यः प्रयच्छति । स हि वार्धुषिको नाम तस्यान्नं नैव भक्षयेत्

Transliteration

samarghaṃ dhānyamuddhatya maharghaṃ yaḥ prayacchati | sa hi vārdhuṣiko nāma tasyānnaṃ naiva bhakṣayet

Translation

న్యాయధరలో ధాన్యాన్ని దాచిపెట్టి, తరువాత అధికధరకు అమ్మేవాడు ‘వార్ధుషిక’ అని పిలువబడతాడు; అతని అన్నం భుజించకూడదు।

Word by Word

• समर्घम्: of equal value / fairly priced
• समर्घम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समर्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (धान्यम्)

• धान्यम्: grain
• धान्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धान्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• उद्धत्य: having raised (the price) / after inflating
• उद्धत्य: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उद्-हन् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त-अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त-अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• महर्घम्: very costly
• महर्घम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महर्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (धान्यम्—अध्याहृतम्)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• प्रयच्छति: gives / sells (for)
• प्रयच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधारण/हेतौ

• वार्धुषिकः: a profiteer / usurer (grain-hoarder)
• वार्धुषिकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्धुषिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• नाम: by name / called
• नाम: Sambandha (Apposition-marker/नाम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (indeclinable), नामार्थे “called”

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• अन्नम्: food / grain
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• एव: at all / indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• भक्षयेत्: should eat
• भक्षयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A granary scene: a merchant hoards sacks of grain, then weighs out at inflated price; a sage/pilgrim turns away refusing the offered meal; Kāśī market street with temple spires behind.

Characters & Entities

• vārdhuṣika

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Food carries moral consequence; avoiding the food of exploiters protects one’s purity and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred setting, but the verse focuses on ethical economy and food-acceptance rules.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A rule of acceptance: do not partake of food from a vārdhuṣika (unethical profiteer/hoarder).