Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

गृहे यस्य सदा तिष्ठेच्छंखोद्धारस्य मृत्तिका । नित्य क्रियाकृतंपुण्यं लभेत्कोटिगुणं बले

Transliteration

gṛhe yasya sadā tiṣṭhecchaṃkhoddhārasya mṛttikā | nitya kriyākṛtaṃpuṇyaṃ labhetkoṭiguṇaṃ bale

Translation

In whose home the clay of Śaṅkhoddhāra always remains, the merit produced by daily rites becomes a crore-fold in potency.

Word by Word

• गृहे: in (the) house
• गृहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (always)

• तिष्ठेत्: would remain/is to remain
• तिष्ठेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• शंखोद्धारस्य: of the conch-uplift (rite/place)
• शंखोद्धारस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्धार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śaṃkhasya uddhāraḥ)

• मृत्तिका: the clay
• मृत्तिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्तिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (always)

• क्रिया-कृतम्-पुण्यम्: merit produced by (ritual) acts
• क्रिया-कृतम्-पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (kriyā-kṛtam puṇyam = merit produced by rites)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• कोटि-गुणम्: million-fold
• कोटि-गुणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (koṭi-guṇam = million-fold)

• बले: O Bala (address) / in strength (contextual)
• बले: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (पाठान्तर/सम्बोधन-सम्भावना: ‘बले’ as vocative of बलि/बल)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkhoddhāra

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A domestic shrine where a small pot of sacred clay is placed beside conch and discus symbols; a householder applies tilaka before daily sandhyā and pūjā; a subtle aura indicates ‘crore-fold’ merit.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkhoddhāra
• Mṛttikā (sacred clay)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Keeping tīrtha-connected sacred substances in the home sanctifies daily life and greatly magnifies the merit of routine dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, through the sanctity of Śaṅkhoddhāra’s holy clay.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Maintaining Śaṅkhoddhāra mṛttikā in one’s home alongside performance of nitya-kriyā (daily rites).