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

പകൽ മനസ്സും വാക്കും കായകൃത്യങ്ങളുംകൊണ്ട് ചെയ്ത പാപം സായാഹ്നത്തിലെ പാശ്ചാത്യ സന്ധ്യയിൽ ആസനസ്ഥനായി പ്രാണായാമങ്ങളാൽ നീക്കുന്നു. പാശ്ചാത്യ സന്ധ്യയിൽ ഇരുന്നാൽ ദിനകൃത മലിനത നശിക്കുന്നു.

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.