Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

गृहं च नरकं तस्य यमदण्डं द्वितीयकम् । न यत्र पठते नित्यं विष्णोर्नामसहस्रकम्

Transliteration

gṛhaṃ ca narakaṃ tasya yamadaṇḍaṃ dvitīyakam | na yatra paṭhate nityaṃ viṣṇornāmasahasrakam

Translation

Rumah itu sendiri adalah neraka, bagaikan tongkat Yama yang kedua, bila di sana Viṣṇu-sahasranāma tidak dibaca setiap hari.

Word by Word

• गृहं: house
• गृहं: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• नरकं: hell
• नरकं: Pradhāna-predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• तस्य: of him/that person
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive, Singular)

• यमदण्डं: Yama’s punishment/rod
• यमदण्डं: Pradhāna-predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम + दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यमस्य दण्डः)

• द्वितीयकम्: as the second
• द्वितीयकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीयक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular); विशेषण (qualifier)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय/सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb: where)

• पठते: recites/reads
• पठते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present Indicative, 3rd sg.)

• नित्यं: always
• नित्यं: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (adverbial: always)

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• नामसहस्रकम्: the thousand names (hymn)
• नामसहस्रकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् + सहस्रक (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नाम्नां सहस्रकम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A household shrine stands unlit and silent in one half (hellish gloom), while the other half shows a family reciting Viṣṇu-sahasranāma before a lamp and tulasī, dispelling darkness; Yama’s rod is only a symbolic shadow outside the threshold.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Viṣṇu-sahasranāma
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A home becomes spiritually luminous through daily nāma-recitation; neglect of devotion is portrayed as self-inflicted suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The admonition is embedded in Dvārakā-māhātmya, aligning Dvārakā’s greatness with Viṣṇu-bhakti practices.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Daily recitation (pāṭha) of the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma.