Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

यस्मिन्गृहे नराः पञ्च स्त्रीत्रयं तावतीश्च गाः । अन्धकारेंधनाग्निश्च तद्गृहे वसतिस्तव

Transliteration

yasmingṛhe narāḥ pañca strītrayaṃ tāvatīśca gāḥ | andhakāreṃdhanāgniśca tadgṛhe vasatistava

Translation

In welchem Haus fünf Männer, drei Frauen und ebenso viele Kühe sind, und wo Dunkelheit, Brennholz und Feuer vorhanden sind—in diesem Haus ist deine Wohnung.

Word by Word

• यस्मिन्: in which
• यस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative); एकवचन (Singular)

• गृहे: in the house
• गृहे: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative); एकवचन (Singular)

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (Quantifier/संख्या-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पञ्च (अव्यय/संख्याशब्द)
• Form: अव्यय; संख्यावाचक (numeral: five)

• स्त्रीत्रयम्: a group of three women
• स्त्रीत्रयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: द्विगु (त्रयः स्त्रियः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.); एकवचन (Singular)

• तावतीः: so many; that many
• तावतीः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• गाः: cows
• गाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.); बहुवचन (Plural)

• अन्धकारे: in darkness
• अन्धकारे: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्धकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative); एकवचन (Singular)

• इन्धनाग्निः: fire with fuel; fuel-fire
• इन्धनाग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्धन + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (इन्धनस्य अग्निः / इन्धनेन अग्निः); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative); एकवचन (Singular)

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

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Determiner/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.); एकवचन (Singular)

• गृहे: in the house
• गृहे: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative); एकवचन (Singular)

• वसतिः: dwelling; residence
• वसतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative); एकवचन (Singular)

• तव: of you; your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive); एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Śiva (continuing instructions about residence)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dim, smoky household interior: unlit corners, stacked fuel, a hearth-fire; figures of five men and three women in the background; cows tethered; a subtle, shadowy goddess-presence implied in the darkness near the hearth.

Characters & Entities

• Cows (gāḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma recognizes the sanctity of the gṛhastha sphere—cows and sacred fire signify a living center of order where divine presence can abide.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The overarching glorification remains Prabhāsa-kṣetra, though the verse focuses on household qualifiers rather than a named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse alludes to gṛhya-sacred essentials (agni, indhana, gāvaḥ) as signs of a proper dwelling.