Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

केशवार्चा गृहे यस्य न तिष्ठति महीपते । तस्यान्नं न च भोक्तव्यमभक्ष्येण समं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

keśavārcā gṛhe yasya na tiṣṭhati mahīpate | tasyānnaṃ na ca bhoktavyamabhakṣyeṇa samaṃ smṛtam

Translation

ହେ ମହୀପତି! ଯାହାଙ୍କ ଘରେ କେଶବଙ୍କ ଆର୍ଚ୍ଚା ସ୍ଥାପିତ ନୁହେଁ, ସେମାନଙ୍କ ଅନ୍ନ ଭୋଜନ କରିବା ଉଚିତ୍ ନୁହେଁ; ଶାସ୍ତ୍ରରେ ତାହାକୁ ଅଭକ୍ଷ୍ୟ ସମାନ ବୋଲି ସ୍ମୃତ କରାଯାଇଛି।

Word by Word

• keśavārcā: worship of Keśava
• keśavārcā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśava (प्रातिपदिक) + arcā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (केशवस्य अर्चा)

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

• yasya: of whom/whose
• yasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (relative pronoun)

• na: not
• na: Modifier (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• tiṣṭhati: remains/is present
• tiṣṭhati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धाातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• mahīpate: O king
• mahīpate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• tasya: of that person
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• annam: food
• annam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Modifier (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• bhoktavyam: should be eaten
• bhoktavyam: Kriya (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु) → bhoktavya (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (तव्यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-भावः (ought to be eaten)

• abhakṣyeṇa: with what is inedible
• abhakṣyeṇa: Upamana/Instrument (Comparison/साधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-bhakṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• samam: equal
• samam: Predicate complement (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तुल्य-विशेषण (as equal)

• smṛtam: is said/considered
• smṛtam: Kriya (Predication/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) → smṛta (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय (is considered)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpati (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king is instructed by a sage: one house has a lit Keśava altar with tulasī and lamps; another lacks worship—its food is shown as symbolically darkened, indicating ‘abhakṣya-samatā’.

Characters & Entities

• Keśava
• Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Household life is sanctified by arcā (deity worship); without it, even ordinary acts like eating become spiritually compromised.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the verse emphasizes Vaiṣṇava domestic worship within the Dwārakā māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Establishing and maintaining Keśava-arcā (worship of Keśava) in one’s home; guidance on avoiding food from a house lacking such worship.