Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

सुवर्णं रजतं वाऽथ वस्त्रं चान्यदभीप्सितम् । यावत्साम्यं भवेद्राजन्नात्मनोऽभ्यधिकं च वा

Transliteration

suvarṇaṃ rajataṃ vā'tha vastraṃ cānyadabhīpsitam | yāvatsāmyaṃ bhavedrājannātmano'bhyadhikaṃ ca vā

Translation

سونا، چاندی، کپڑا یا کوئی اور مطلوبہ نذر—اے راجن—اتنی پیش کی جائے کہ وہ اپنے وزن کے برابر ہو جائے، یا اس سے بھی بڑھ جائے۔

Word by Word

• सुवर्णम्: gold
• सुवर्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• रजतम्: silver
• रजतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• वा: or
• वा: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्पार्थक) — disjunctive particle

• अथ: then
• अथ: Anukrama (Sequencing/अनुक्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तर/प्रकरणारम्भ) — ‘then/also’

• वस्त्रम्: cloth/garment
• वस्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — conjunction

• अन्यत्: other
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Accusative singular; (अभीप्सितम् विशेष्य)

• अभीप्सितम्: desired (thing)
• अभीप्सितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभि-इप्स् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘desired’

• यावत्: as much as
• यावत्: Parimāṇa (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/संबन्ध)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/अवधि) — ‘as much as/so long as’

• साम्यम्: equality
• साम्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• भवेत्: should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — ‘may be/should be’

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन — Vocative singular

• आत्मनः: of oneself
• आत्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• अभ्यधिकम्: greater (than)
• अभ्यधिकम्: Karta (Predicate nominal/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभ्यधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Nominative singular; (साम्यं ... अभ्यधिकं वा)

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

• वा: or
• वा: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्पार्थक) — ‘or’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic narration style in Nāgara-khaṇḍa tīrtha-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A kingly donor offers gold, silver, and garments into a sling-balance until it matches his weight; priests and witnesses ensure ritual propriety.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred charity performed with measure, sincerity, and abundance becomes a powerful means of merit and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya passage (place-glorification), but this snippet does not name the tīrtha explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tulāpuruṣa-style giving: donating valuables (gold, silver, cloth, etc.) up to one’s weight or more.