Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

यमस्यैतद्वचः श्रुत्वा भगवांस्तिमिरापहः । छायासंज्ञामथाहूय पप्रच्छ क्वगतेति च

Transliteration

yamasyaitadvacaḥ śrutvā bhagavāṃstimirāpahaḥ | chāyāsaṃjñāmathāhūya papraccha kvagateti ca

Translation

യമന്റെ ഈ വാക്കുകൾ കേട്ട് അന്ധകാരം അകറ്റുന്ന ഭഗവാൻ ‘ഛായ’ എന്നവളെ വിളിച്ചു—“അവൾ എവിടെ പോയി?” എന്നു ചോദിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• yamasya: of Yama
• yamasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; ‘वचः’ विशेषण

• vacaḥ: speech/words
• vacaḥ: Karma (Object of śrutvā/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘श्रुत्वा’ = having heard

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• timira-apahaḥ: remover of darkness
• timira-apahaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: timira (प्रातिपदिक) + apaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘तिमिरम् अपहन्ति’); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; ‘भगवान्’ विशेषण

• chāyā-saṃjñām: (the one) named Chāyā
• chāyā-saṃjñām: Karma (Object of āhūya/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chāyā (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (विशेषण-विशेष्य: ‘छाया-नाम्नी’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• āhūya: having summoned
• āhūya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√hū (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘आहूय’ = having called/summoned

• papraccha: asked
• papraccha: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√prach (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kva-gatā: (saying) ‘where has she gone?’
• kva-gatā: Karma (Quoted content/वाक्यकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kva (अव्यय) + gata (कृदन्त; √gam)
• Form: ‘क्व’ इति प्रश्न-अव्यय + ‘गता’ (क्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन); इति-पूर्वकं वाक्यांशः

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The luminous father-deity, hearing Yama, calls Chāyā by name; attendants turn; the moment feels like an investigation beginning, with a question hanging in the air: ‘Where has she gone?’

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Vivasvān (Sūrya/Divākara)
• Chāyā
• Saṃjñā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truth is sought through inquiry; dharma requires accountability when confusion arises in relationships.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse; it advances the Saṃjñā–Chāyā narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative inquiry scene.