Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

स्थालीपिधाने यत्राग्निं ददते विकला नराः । गृहे तत्र दुरिष्टानामशेषाणां समाश्रयः

Transliteration

sthālīpidhāne yatrāgniṃ dadate vikalā narāḥ | gṛhe tatra duriṣṭānāmaśeṣāṇāṃ samāśrayaḥ

Translation

Dans la maison où des hommes maladroits ou négligents posent le feu sur le couvercle du pot, ce foyer devient l’asile de tous les mauvais présages et de toutes les actions impies.

Word by Word

• sthālī-pidhāne: in the pot-lid/covering of a pot
• sthālī-pidhāne: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthālī (प्रातिपदिक) + pidhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्थाल्याः पिधानम्)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-सम्बन्ध (relative locative adverb: 'where')

• agnim: fire
• agnim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• dadate: they place/give
• dadate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• vikalāḥ: maimed, deficient
• vikalāḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vikala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (narāḥ इति)

• narāḥ: men
• narāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• gṛhe: in the house
• gṛhe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• duriṣṭānām: of the ill-fated/evil-doers
• duriṣṭānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duriṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• aśeṣāṇām: of all, without remainder
• aśeṣāṇām: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (duriṣṭānām इति)

• samāśrayaḥ: a refuge/abode
• samāśrayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sam-ā-śri (धातु) + a (प्रत्यय) → samāśraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कृदन्त-भाववाचक/आश्रयार्थक-नाम (noun: 'refuge/abode')

Speaker

Skanda (Kumāra) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dim household kitchen where a careless person sets fire upon a pot-lid; smoke curls upward as shadowy ominous forms gather at the threshold, suggesting apashakuna entering due to negligence.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Carelessness with agni (fire) and improper domestic practice are treated as inauspicious, leading to decline in household welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra is the overarching sacred setting of the discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is stated; the verse implies proper respect for agni and correct household procedure.