Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । षड्विंशद्गुणसंपन्नो राजा राज्यं करोति च । स राज्यफलमाप्नोति शृणु तत्कथयाम्यहम्

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | ṣaḍviṃśadguṇasaṃpanno rājā rājyaṃ karoti ca | sa rājyaphalamāpnoti śṛṇu tatkathayāmyaham

Translation

นารทฤๅษีกล่าวว่า: พระราชาผู้ประกอบด้วยคุณธรรมยี่สิบหกประการ ย่อมทรงธำรงราชสมบัติได้โดยแท้ และย่อมได้รับผลแห่งการครองราชย์ตามธรรม จงฟังเถิด เราจักกล่าวคุณธรรมนั้นบัดนี้

Word by Word

• नारदः: Narada
• नारदः: Karta (Speaker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• षड्विंशत्-गुण-संपन्नः: endowed with twenty-six qualities
• षड्विंशत्-गुण-संपन्नः: Visheshana (Qualifier of rājā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षड्विंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + संपन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √पद्/पन् with सम्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (संख्यापूर्वक-निर्देश): षड्विंशत् गुणैः संपन्नः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• राज्यम्: kingdom/rule
• राज्यम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• करोति: makes/maintains
• करोति: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• राज्य-फलम्: fruit/result of kingship
• राज्य-फलम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: राज्यस्य फलम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आप्नोति: attains
• आप्नोति: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कथयामि: I tell
• कथयामि: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; नामधातु from कथा)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (within Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bali

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada begins a formal enumeration: he raises a hand in teaching gesture, Bali listens; a scroll or palm-leaf list symbolizes the ‘twenty-six qualities’.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Authority becomes dharmic and fruitful when grounded in cultivated virtues rather than mere power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa, connecting ethical kingship with sacred geography context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it introduces a list of virtues as an ethical discipline.