Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

नाहं देवि करिष्यामि हस्त्यश्वरथसंग्रहम् । यतस्तेषां भवेत्पुष्टिर्वित्तैर्वित्तं करैर्भवेत् । गृहीतैः सर्वलोकानां तस्मात्तन्न ममेप्सितम्

Transliteration

nāhaṃ devi kariṣyāmi hastyaśvarathasaṃgraham | yatasteṣāṃ bhavetpuṣṭirvittairvittaṃ karairbhavet | gṛhītaiḥ sarvalokānāṃ tasmāttanna mamepsitam

Translation

โอ้เทวี ข้าจะไม่สั่งสมช้าง ม้า และรถศึก เพราะการเลี้ยงดูและให้เจริญเติบโตต้องอาศัยทรัพย์ และทรัพย์นั้นย่อมมาจากภาษีที่เก็บจากมหาชนทั้งปวง ดังนั้นสิ่งนั้นมิใช่ความปรารถนาของข้า

Word by Word

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

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, उत्तमपुरुष-सूचक; प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; लिङ्ग-निर्देशः न (pronoun)

• devi: O देवी
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन (vocative singular)

• kariṣyāmi: I will do
• kariṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (simple future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• hasti-aśva-ratha-saṃgraham: collection of elephants, horses, and chariots
• hasti-aśva-ratha-saṃgraham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasti (प्रातिपदिक) + aśva (प्रातिपदिक) + ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃgraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; समासः—हस्त्यश्वरथानां संग्रहः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• yataḥ: because
• yataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (causal indeclinable: 'because/for')

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन (genitive plural)

• bhavet: would be / may occur
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• puṣṭiḥ: nourishment, prosperity
• puṣṭiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• vittaiḥ: by wealth
• vittaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन (instrumental plural)

• vittam: wealth
• vittam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (subject)

• karaiḥ: by taxes/levies
• karaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन (instrumental plural)

• bhavet: would arise / would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• gṛhītaiḥ: taken/collected
• gṛhītaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: grah (धातु) → gṛhīta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; पुं/नपुंसक-सम्भव; अत्र 'करैः' इत्यर्थे साधन/हेतु-भावः

• sarva-lokānām: of all people/worlds
• sarva-lokānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; समासः—सर्वे लोकाः (कर्मधारय)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmāt (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक tad)
• Form: तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्; पञ्चमी-एकवचन-रूपं, अव्ययीभूतं (indeclinable sense: 'therefore/from that reason')

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र द्वितीया (object)

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

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन (genitive singular)

• īpsitam: desired
• īpsitam: Visheshana (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āp (धातु) → īpsita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (predicate adjective)

Speaker

Pṛthivīpati (the king) addressing Devī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A righteous king speaks to Devī, declining royal pomp—elephants, horses, chariots—because their upkeep would demand taxes from all people; the court atmosphere is austere, ethical, and contemplative.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Pṛthivīpati (King)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True rājadharma restrains royal ambition and avoids burdening the populace for displays of power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse focuses on ethical governance within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a policy vow—renouncing burdensome accumulation funded by heavy taxation.