Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

भुक्त्वा वा यदि वाऽभुक्त्वा दिवा वा यदि वा निशि । न कालनियमस्तत्र यत्र प्राची सरस्वती

Transliteration

bhuktvā vā yadi vā'bhuktvā divā vā yadi vā niśi | na kālaniyamastatra yatra prācī sarasvatī

Translation

Ob man gegessen hat oder nicht, ob bei Tag oder bei Nacht—an dem Ort, wo Prācī Sarasvatī weilt, gibt es keine zeitliche Beschränkung.

Word by Word

• bhuktvā: having eaten
• bhuktvā: Sambandha (Adverbial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhuj (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having eaten)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प (disjunctive particle)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक अव्यय (conditional particle)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प (disjunctive particle)

• abhuktvā: without eating
• abhuktvā: Sambandha (Adverbial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: a + bhuj (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक क्त्वान्त अव्यय (negative absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (without eating)

• divā: by day
• divā: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: divā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प (disjunctive particle)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक अव्यय (conditional particle)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प (disjunctive particle)

• niśi: at night
• niśi: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण (time-locative)

• na: no/not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• kāla-niyamaḥ: restriction of time
• kāla-niyamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla + niyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता/विधेय (there is no time-restriction)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• prācī: Prācī
• prācī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prācī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता (subject)

• sarasvatī: Sarasvatī
• sarasvatī: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अप्पोजिशन (same referent)

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextual praise within the Māhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prācī Sarasvatī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night and day split scene: a pilgrim at midnight with a small lamp and another at noon, both taking ācāmana at the same riverbank, showing ‘no time restriction’.

Characters & Entities

• Prācī Sarasvatī
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A supremely sacred place relaxes ordinary constraints—devotion there is accepted regardless of time or prior conditions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha of Prācī Sarasvatī within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies that acts like sipping/bathing/worship at Prācī Sarasvatī need not follow strict timing rules.