Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

यदह्ना कुरुते पापं मनोवाक्कायकर्मभिः । आसीनः पश्चिमां संध्यां प्राणायामैर्व्यपोहति । पश्चिमां तु समासीनो मलं हंति दिवाकृतम्

Transliteration

yadahnā kurute pāpaṃ manovākkāyakarmabhiḥ | āsīnaḥ paścimāṃ saṃdhyāṃ prāṇāyāmairvyapohati | paścimāṃ tu samāsīno malaṃ haṃti divākṛtam

Translation

Welche Sünde man auch am Tage durch Geist, Wort und Tat des Leibes begeht—sitzt man zur abendlichen Sandhyā, so wird sie durch Prāṇāyāmas hinweggenommen. Wahrlich, sitzend in der westlichen (abendlichen) Sandhyā vernichtet man die am Tage entstandene Unreinheit.

Word by Word

• yat: whatever (sin)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यद् (relative pronoun)

• ahnā: by day / during the day
• ahnā: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; कालवाचक-करण/हेतु-प्रयोग (by day/during daytime)

• kurute: does/commits
• kurute: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• manas: with mind
• manas: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (in compound)

• vāk: with speech
• vāk: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (in compound)

• kāya: with body
• kāya: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (in compound)

• karmabhiḥ: by actions (deeds)
• karmabhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; समस्तपद: मनो-वाक्-काय-कर्मभिः (द्वन्द्व-समाहार/समुच्चयार्थ)

• āsīnaḥ: seated
• āsīnaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āsīna (कृदन्त; √ās/ās धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (one who is seated)

• paścimām: western
• paścimām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; संध्याम् इति विशेषण

• saṃdhyām: twilight (evening sandhyā)
• saṃdhyām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃdhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• prāṇāyāmaiḥ: by breath-controls (prāṇāyāmas)
• prāṇāyāmaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa + āyāma (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: प्राणानाम् आयामः (breath-control)

• vyapohati: removes/dispels
• vyapohati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + apa + ūh (ऊह धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• paścimām: western (sandhyā)
• paścimām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; (संध्याम्) अनुवृत्त-विशेषण

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• samāsīnaḥ: sitting (in proper posture)
• samāsīnaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + āsīna (कृदन्त; √ās धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (sitting properly/fully seated)

• malam: impurity
• malam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• hanti: destroys
• hanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (हन् धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• divā-kṛtam: done in the daytime
• divā-kṛtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divā (अव्यय) + kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव/तत्पुरुष-प्राय: ‘divā kṛtam’ = by-day done; मलं इति विशेषण

Speaker

Unspecified (Dharmāraṇyakhaṇḍa narrative voice; ritual instruction)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dvija seated at dusk on a riverbank or courtyard kuśa-seat, facing the reddening western horizon, performing prāṇāyāma and sandhyā; subtle depiction of impurities dissolving with the breath.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Evening sandhyā with prāṇāyāma is taught as a daily cleansing of daytime moral impurities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific location is praised; the verse focuses on obligatory daily rites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

At evening twilight, sit and perform prāṇāyāma to remove sins and impurities accrued during the day.