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

Dans toute maison où se trouvent cinq hommes, trois femmes et autant de vaches, et où il y a ténèbres, bois de feu et flamme—dans cette maison est ta demeure.

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.