Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

यथामिषं जले मत्स्यैर्भक्ष्यते श्वापदैर्भुवि । आकाशे पक्षिभिश्चैव तथा सर्वत्र वित्तवान्

Transliteration

yathāmiṣaṃ jale matsyairbhakṣyate śvāpadairbhuvi | ākāśe pakṣibhiścaiva tathā sarvatra vittavān

Translation

ดุจเหยื่อที่ถูกปลากินในน้ำ ถูกสัตว์ร้ายกินบนแผ่นดิน และถูกนกกินในท้องฟ้า—ฉันใด คนมั่งมีในทุกแห่งก็ย่อมตกเป็นเหยื่อฉันนั้น

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Upamāna-sūcaka (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/‘just as’)

• आमिषं: bait; flesh
• आमिषं: Karta (Subject in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आमिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• जले: in water
• जले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular)

• मत्स्यैः: by fishes
• मत्स्यैः: Karaṇa (Agent in passive/कर्ता-कारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental plural)

• भक्ष्यते: is eaten
• भक्ष्यते: Kriyā (Passive predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद, कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

• श्वापदैः: by wild beasts
• श्वापदैः: Karaṇa (Agent in passive/कर्ता-कारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वापद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental plural)

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular)

• आकाशे: in the sky
• आकाशे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular)

• पक्षिभिः: by birds
• पक्षिभिः: Karaṇa (Agent in passive/कर्ता-कारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental plural)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण/particle of emphasis)

• तथा: so; likewise
• तथा: Upamāna-sādharmya (Comparative adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तुल्यतावाचक; ‘so/likewise’)

• सर्वत्र: everywhere
• सर्वत्र: Deśa (Locative adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक; ‘everywhere’)

• वित्तवान्: a wealthy man
• वित्तवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वित्त (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तद्धितान्त (वतुप्), ‘धनयुक्तः’

Speaker

An unnamed renunciate/narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya (moral illustration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Triptych-like allegory: fish snapping at bait in water; beasts seizing bait on land; birds diving for bait in sky; central overlay: a wealthy person surrounded by grasping hands/figures.

Characters & Entities

• matsya
• pakṣi
• śvāpada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wealth attracts exploitation and danger from every side; safety lies in non-attachment and discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the chapter’s moral instruction within Tīrthamāhātmya; no specific tirtha is named here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a warning through metaphor, encouraging vairāgya rather than a formal rite.