Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

इत्थं शौचं गृही कुर्याद्गंधलेपक्षयावधि । क्रमाद्वैगुण्यतः कुर्याद्ब्रह्मचर्यादिषु त्रिषु

Transliteration

itthaṃ śaucaṃ gṛhī kuryādgaṃdhalepakṣayāvadhi | kramādvaiguṇyataḥ kuryādbrahmacaryādiṣu triṣu

Translation

So soll der Haushälter die Reinigung vollziehen, bis Geruch und Schmier entfernt sind. Und der rechten Ordnung gemäß soll er sie mit gesteigerter Strenge, wie vorgeschrieben, in den drei Lebensständen ausüben, beginnend mit dem Brahmacarya.

Word by Word

• ittham: thus/in this manner
• ittham: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ittham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — एवम्/अनेन प्रकारेण

• śaucam: purification/cleanliness
• śaucam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śauca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• gṛhī: householder
• gṛhī: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhin (गृहिन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• kuryāt: should do/perform
• kuryāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• gandha-lepa-kṣaya-avadhi: until the smell and smear are gone
• gandha-lepa-kṣaya-avadhi: Sambandha (Limit/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + lepa (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक) + avadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययरूपेण—(गन्धलेपस्य) क्षयः यावत् (until the disappearance of smell/coating)

• kramāt: gradually/in order
• kramāt: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् (ablatival adverb) — क्रमशः

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

• guṇyataḥ: with increased measure
• guṇyataḥ: Sambandha (Degree/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: guṇyatā (गुण्यता प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् (ablatival adverb) — गुण्यतया/गुणाधिक्येन (in increased measure)

• kuryāt: should do
• kuryāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• brahmacarya-ādiṣu: in brahmacarya and the like
• brahmacarya-ādiṣu: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmacarya (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मचर्यं आदिः येषां तेषु (in brahmacarya etc.)

• triṣu: in the three
• triṣu: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (त्रि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (ādiṣu)

Speaker

Anonymous Purāṇic narrator (Dharmāraṇya instructional passage; speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A triptych of life-stages: brahmacārin (student) with strict austerity symbols, gṛhastha (householder) with moderate domestic setting, and later āśrama figure (vānaprastha/sannyāsin) with austere simplicity—each performing śauca with increasing rigor; overlay text-like cue ‘gandha-lepa-kṣaya’ (until odor/smear gone).

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity is outcome-based (removal of odor/filth) and also varies by life-stage, reflecting graded dharma disciplines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is specified; the focus is āśrama-based conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A householder should cleanse until odor and smear are gone; stricter standards apply across the three āśrama stages beginning with brahmacarya.