Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

यस्य पुण्ड्रं ललाटे तु गोपीचंदनसंज्ञकम् । न जहाति गृहं तस्य लक्ष्मीः कृष्णप्रिया द्विजाः

Transliteration

yasya puṇḍraṃ lalāṭe tu gopīcaṃdanasaṃjñakam | na jahāti gṛhaṃ tasya lakṣmīḥ kṛṣṇapriyā dvijāḥ

Translation

О брахманы, дом того, на чьём челе начертан пундра, именуемый Гопичандана, никогда не покидает Лакшми — возлюбленная Кришны.

Word by Word

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुण्ड्रम्: tilaka/sect-mark
• पुण्ड्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्ड्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (अत्र विषयः—‘पुण्ड्रं ...’ as nominative/accusative in sense)

• ललाटे: on the forehead
• ललाटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ललाट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrast/emphasis particle)

• गोपी-चन्दन-संज्ञकम्: called gopī-candana
• गोपी-चन्दन-संज्ञकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक) + चन्दन (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (gopī-candana-saṃjñakam = called ‘gopī-candana’)

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

• जहाति: abandons/leaves
• जहाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• गृहम्: the house
• गृहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• लक्ष्मीः: Lakṣmī (fortune)
• लक्ष्मीः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृष्ण-प्रिया: beloved of Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्ण-प्रिया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kṛṣṇasya priyā)

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (अत्र सम्बोधनार्थः—हे द्विजाः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopīcandana (Śaṅkhoddhāra-mṛttikā)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ / brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee with bright white ūrdhva-puṇḍra of Gopīcandana on the forehead stands at the threshold of a prosperous home; Lakṣmī, radiant and gentle, is shown symbolically seated within, indicating she does not depart.

Characters & Entities

• Puṇḍra
• Gopīcandana
• Lakṣmī
• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Visible devotion (puṇḍra/tilaka) joined with inner faith invites Lakṣmī’s steady presence—spiritual and worldly well-being aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā’s Vaiṣṇava culture is foregrounded; the verse praises a hallmark practice associated with Kṛṣṇa devotion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Applying the Gopīcandana puṇḍra on the forehead as a Vaiṣṇava devotional observance.