Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 173

Devanagari script

एवमाचरतो धर्मं महेशस्य गृहे सतः । धर्मार्थकामसंप्राप्तौ परत्रेह च शोभनम्

Transliteration

evamācarato dharmaṃ maheśasya gṛhe sataḥ | dharmārthakāmasaṃprāptau paratreha ca śobhanam

Translation

മഹേശന്റെ ഗൃഹത്തിൽ (ശൈവ ഗൃഹസ്ഥധർമ്മത്തിൽ) വസിച്ച് ഇങ്ങനെ ധർമ്മം ആചരിക്കുന്നവന് ധർമ്മ-അർത്ഥ-കാമങ്ങളുടെ പ്രാപ്തി നിശ്ചിതം; ഇഹലോകത്തും പരലോകത്തും മംഗളം ലഭിക്കും।

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक) — “thus/in this way”

• ācarataḥ: of (one) practicing
• ācarataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-car (चर् धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; षष्ठी एकवचनम् — “of (one) practicing”

• dharmam: dharma/righteousness
• dharmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (धर्म प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचनम्

• maheśasya: of Maheśa (Śiva)
• maheśasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśa (महेश प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचनम्

• gṛhe: in the house
• gṛhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (गृह प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचनम्

• sataḥ: of (one) being (there)
• sataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sat (सत् प्रातिपदिक; √as ‘to be’ से)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ/सत्-प्रातिपदिक (present participial stem); षष्ठी एकवचनम्; पुंलिङ्ग — “of one being/while being (there)”

• dharma-artha-kāma-saṃprāptau: in the attainment of dharma, artha, and kāma
• dharma-artha-kāma-saṃprāptau: Adhikarana (Sphere/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (धर्म) + artha (अर्थ) + kāma (काम) + saṃprāpti (संप्राप्ति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (धर्मार्थकामानां संप्राप्तिः)

• paratra: hereafter
• paratra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paratra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देश/कालवाचक) — “in the other world/hereafter”

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — “here/in this world”

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• śobhanam: auspicious/beneficial
• śobhanam: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śobhana (शोभन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचनम् — predicate nominal “(it is) auspicious/beautiful”

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahēśa-gṛha (conceptual Śiva-abode/Śiva-kṣetra residence)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Phālguna/Arjuna addressed in nearby verses; also the king as immediate addressee in the sequence

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee-householder under Śiva’s protection: domestic setting subtly transformed into a sacred abode; Śiva’s emblem (liṅga/trident) present; blessings for puruṣārthas.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśa (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right conduct under Śiva’s shelter harmonizes worldly aims with spiritual good, benefiting both this life and the next.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific location; the ‘house of Maheśa’ signifies Śaiva devotional life and dharmic household practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It summarizes the fruit of the prescribed dharma-ācāra (purity, worship, discipline) rather than adding a new rite.