Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

गृहस्थाश्रमिणः पंच सूना कर्म दिने दिने । कंडनी पेषणी चुल्ली ह्युदकुंभस्तु मार्जनी

Transliteration

gṛhasthāśramiṇaḥ paṃca sūnā karma dine dine | kaṃḍanī peṣaṇī cullī hyudakuṃbhastu mārjanī

Translation

Für den im Hausstand Lebenden gibt es fünf dem täglichen Tun innewohnende «tägliche Schlachtungen»: das Worfeln/Reinigen, das Mahlen, die Feuerstätte, der Wasserkrug und das Kehren.

Word by Word

• गृहस्थाश्रमिणः: of the householder (in the gṛhastha-āśrama)
• गृहस्थाश्रमिणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहस्थ + आश्रमिन् (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचनम्; समासः तत्पुरुषः (गृहस्थस्य आश्रमिणः)

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनार्थे; विशेषणम्

• सूनाः: slaughter/violence-causing acts (sūnāḥ)
• सूनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्

• कर्म: (are) acts
• कर्म: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; समाहारार्थे (collective)

• दिने: in a day
• दिने: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्

• दिने: day by day
• दिने: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; पुनरुक्तिः (दिने दिने = प्रतिदिनम्)

• कण्डनी: pounding/grinding (with mortar)
• कण्डनी: Karta (Enumerated item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्डनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• पेषणी: grinding (with millstone)
• पेषणी: Karta (Enumerated item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पेषणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• चुल्ली: hearth/stove
• चुल्ली: Karta (Enumerated item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चुल्ली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle; emphasis/indeed)

• उदकुम्भः: water-pot
• उदकुम्भः: Karta (Enumerated item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक + कुम्भ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; समासः तत्पुरुषः (उदकस्य कुम्भः)

• तु: and/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अवधारणार्थक-निपातः (but/indeed)

• मार्जनी: broom/cleaning
• मार्जनी: Karta (Enumerated item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्जनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic depiction of the five household ‘sūnā’: a mortar and pestle, a hearth with pot, a water-jar, a broom, and a winnowing basket—arranged like ritual emblems, with a thoughtful householder observing.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (implied context)
• Pañcasūnā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Household life inevitably causes minor harm; dharma recognizes this and urges compensating purity through daily sacred duties.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the contextual setting (Kāśīkhaṇḍa), presenting refined daily dharma as part of Kāśī’s sanctifying power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It identifies the pañcasūnā (five daily sources of harm), implying the need for pañcayajña and related rites to counterbalance them.