Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

इत्थं शौचं गृही कुर्याद्गंधलेपक्षयावधि । क्रमाद्वैगुण्यतः कुर्याद्ब्रह्मचर्यादिषु त्रिषु

Transliteration

itthaṃ śaucaṃ gṛhī kuryādgaṃdhalepakṣayāvadhi | kramādvaiguṇyataḥ kuryādbrahmacaryādiṣu triṣu

Translation

ఇలా గృహస్థుడు వాసన, మలినలేపనం పూర్తిగా తొలగే వరకు శౌచం చేయాలి. బ్రహ్మచర్యాది మూడు ఆశ్రమాలలో క్రమంగా శాస్త్రవిధి ప్రకారం మరింత కఠినంగా శుద్ధిని ఆచరించాలి.

Word by Word

• ittham: thus/in this manner
• ittham: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ittham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — एवम्/अनेन प्रकारेण

• śaucam: purification/cleanliness
• śaucam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śauca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• gṛhī: householder
• gṛhī: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhin (गृहिन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• kuryāt: should do/perform
• kuryāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• gandha-lepa-kṣaya-avadhi: until the smell and smear are gone
• gandha-lepa-kṣaya-avadhi: Sambandha (Limit/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + lepa (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक) + avadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययरूपेण—(गन्धलेपस्य) क्षयः यावत् (until the disappearance of smell/coating)

• kramāt: gradually/in order
• kramāt: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् (ablatival adverb) — क्रमशः

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• guṇyataḥ: with increased measure
• guṇyataḥ: Sambandha (Degree/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: guṇyatā (गुण्यता प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् (ablatival adverb) — गुण्यतया/गुणाधिक्येन (in increased measure)

• kuryāt: should do
• kuryāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• brahmacarya-ādiṣu: in brahmacarya and the like
• brahmacarya-ādiṣu: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmacarya (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मचर्यं आदिः येषां तेषु (in brahmacarya etc.)

• triṣu: in the three
• triṣu: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (त्रि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (ādiṣu)

Speaker

Anonymous Purāṇic narrator (Dharmāraṇya instructional passage; speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A triptych of life-stages: brahmacārin (student) with strict austerity symbols, gṛhastha (householder) with moderate domestic setting, and later āśrama figure (vānaprastha/sannyāsin) with austere simplicity—each performing śauca with increasing rigor; overlay text-like cue ‘gandha-lepa-kṣaya’ (until odor/smear gone).

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity is outcome-based (removal of odor/filth) and also varies by life-stage, reflecting graded dharma disciplines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is specified; the focus is āśrama-based conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A householder should cleanse until odor and smear are gone; stricter standards apply across the three āśrama stages beginning with brahmacarya.