Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

प्रातःकाले वहेद्गंगा सायं च यमुना तथा

Transliteration

prātaḥkāle vahedgaṃgā sāyaṃ ca yamunā tathā

Translation

Am Morgen fließt sie als Gaṅgā, und am Abend ebenso als Yamunā.

Word by Word

• प्रातःकाले: in the morning time
• प्रातःकाले: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रातः + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular; समासः तत्पुरुष (प्रातःकाले = प्रातः-काले)

• वहेत्: should flow
• वहेत्: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular

• गङ्गा: Ganga
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• सायम्: in the evening
• सायम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सायम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• यमुना: Yamuna
• यमुना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: in that manner/likewise)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the assembled Ṛṣis (contextual attribution within Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṣitoyā (at Mahodaya), Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A single luminous river at Prabhāsa shown changing essence with the day: at sunrise it bears Gaṅgā’s iconography; at sunset it bears Yamunā’s darker-blue serenity; pilgrims stand with añjali on the bank as the sky shifts.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Yamunā
• Ṛṣitoyā (implied as the stream taking forms)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A single tīrtha can embody multiple sacred rivers—time and reverence reveal its diverse sanctities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ṛṣitoyā at Mahodaya within Prabhāsa Kṣetra, identified with Gaṅgā and Yamunā at different times.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse suggests time-sensitive sanctity for bathing/approach—morning associated with Gaṅgā, evening with Yamunā.