Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

गतायामथ गंगायामधोवक्त्रं सुलज्जितम् । पाणौ गृह्य ययौ रुद्रं भ्रममाणा गृहं प्रति

Transliteration

gatāyāmatha gaṃgāyāmadhovaktraṃ sulajjitam | pāṇau gṛhya yayau rudraṃ bhramamāṇā gṛhaṃ prati

Translation

Als Gaṅgā fortgegangen war, nahm die schamhaft gewordene Göttin, das Antlitz gesenkt, Rudra bei der Hand und kehrte, sich umwendend, heimwärts.

Word by Word

• gatāyām: when (she) had gone
• gatāyām: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘गता’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse-marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर-अव्यय (particle: then/now)

• gaṃgāyām: (with) Gaṅgā (having gone)
• gaṃgāyām: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (with gatāyām)

• adho-vaktram: with face turned downward
• adho-vaktram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव-समासः (अधः = downward)

• su-lajjitam: very ashamed
• su-lajjitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + lajjita (प्रातिपदिक; √lajj)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘लज्जित’; कर्मधारय (सु+लज्जित)

• pāṇau: in the hand
• pāṇau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• gṛhya: having taken/holding
• gṛhya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive)

• yayau: went
• yayau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• rudram: Rudra (Śiva)
• rudram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• bhramamāṇā: wandering, moving about
• bhramamāṇā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhram (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• gṛham: home
• gṛham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• prati: towards
• prati: Dik (Direction/दिक्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपपद-अव्यय (preposition: towards)

Speaker

Pulastya (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: (Unnamed) Śiva-Gaṅgā Kuṇḍa in Arbuda context

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Narādhipa (king; contextually Yayāti)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṅgā, eyes lowered in modesty, gently holds Rudra’s hand; both turn back from the water’s edge toward a celestial abode; the pond and its banks glow with tīrtha radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Rudra (Śiva)
• Devī (Pārvatī implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas portray divine life with human-like modesty to teach restraint and reverence within dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing episode belongs to the Śivagaṅgā-kuṇḍa māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.