Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

गृहेगृहे न किं नार्य्यो रूपलावण्यगर्विताः । परं विश्वेशभक्त्यैव लभ्यते स्त्री पति व्रता

Transliteration

gṛhegṛhe na kiṃ nāryyo rūpalāvaṇyagarvitāḥ | paraṃ viśveśabhaktyaiva labhyate strī pati vratā

Translation

ในทุกเรือนย่อมมีสตรีผู้หลงในความงามและเสน่ห์ของตน; แต่ภรรยาปติวรตาที่แท้จริงย่อมได้มาเพียงด้วยภักติอันสูงสุดต่อวิศเวศะ ผู้เป็นเจ้าแห่งสากล

Word by Word

• गृहे: in a house
• गृहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• गृहे: in each house
• गृहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (distributive: ‘in every house’)

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

• किम्: what? (rhetorical)
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक सर्वनाम (here: rhetorical ‘what?/is it that…?’)

• नार्यः: women
• नार्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• रूपलावण्यगर्विताः: proud of beauty and charm
• रूपलावण्यगर्विताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूप-लावण्य-गर्वित (प्रातिपदिक; √गर्व्/गृ धातु-निष्पन्न ‘गर्वित’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/विशेषण), बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (रूपेण लावण्येन च गर्विताः)

• परम्: but, however
• परम्: Sambandha (Contrast/विरोध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परम् (अव्यय/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अपवादसूचक (particle ‘but/however’)

• विश्वेशभक्त्या: by devotion to Viśveśa (Lord of the universe)
• विश्वेशभक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वेश-भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विश्वेशस्य भक्तिः)

• एव: alone
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis ‘alone/indeed’)

• लभ्यते: is obtained
• लभ्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• स्त्री: a woman
• स्त्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• पति: husband
• पति: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/सम्बोधन/नाम), एकवचन; अत्र ‘पति-व्रता’ इत्यस्य पदच्छेदे प्रथमाङ्गम्

• व्रता: vowed/devoted (i.e., faithful wife)
• व्रता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्रता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/विशेषण), एकवचन; ‘व्रत’ शब्दस्य स्त्रीरूपम्; अत्र ‘पतिव्रता’ अर्थे

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa; likely a Purāṇic teacher-voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Viśveśa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Contrast scene: women adorned and proud in households; in the center, a humble pativratā offers flowers to Viśveśa-liṅga; her simplicity radiates a stronger aura than ornamentation.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśa (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer beauty is common, but lasting household sanctity arises from devotion to Viśveśa and the cultivation of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśveśa is strongly associated with Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), though the verse itself does not explicitly name the city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse emphasizes bhakti (devotion) rather than a specific rite.