Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

अजोऽग्निर्वरुणो मेषः सूर्यश्च पृथिवी विराट् । धेनुर्वत्सश्च सोमो वै विक्रीयैतान्न सिध्यति

Transliteration

ajo'gnirvaruṇo meṣaḥ sūryaśca pṛthivī virāṭ | dhenurvatsaśca somo vai vikrīyaitānna sidhyati

Translation

山羊、火神、伐楼那、雄羊、太阳、大地、宇宙大身（Virāṭ）、母牛与牛犊，以及苏摩——凡将这些神圣的存在与原则拿去贩卖者，终不得真实成就。

Word by Word

• अजः: Aja (a deity/name)
• अजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• अग्निः: Agni (fire-god)
• अग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वरुणः: Varuṇa
• वरुणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• मेषः: Meṣa (ram/sign)
• मेषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सूर्यः: the Sun
• सूर्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पृथिवी: Earth
• पृथिवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• विराट्: Virāṭ (cosmic being)
• विराट्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विराज्/विराट् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• धेनुः: cow
• धेनुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वत्सः: calf
• वत्सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• सोमः: Soma
• सोमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• विक्रीय: having sold
• विक्रीय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + क्री (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• एतान्: these (ones)
• एतान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• सिध्यति: succeeds/is accomplished
• सिध्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सिध् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative mode)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic procession of deities and sacred principles—Agni as flame, Varuṇa with water-pot, Soma as lunar nectar, Sūrya radiant, Pṛthivī as goddess, Virāṭ as cosmic form—while a merchant’s act of ‘sale’ is shown as futile.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Varuṇa
• Sūrya
• Pṛthivī
• Virāṭ
• Soma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Treat sacred life-sustainers and divine principles as non-commodities; profiting by selling them obstructs dharmic accomplishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tirtha is named in this verse; it teaches general Purāṇic dharma within the Kaumārikā-khaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition/ethical rule is implied: do not sell what is dharmically sacred (especially the cow-calf and other sanctified entities).