Shloka 3

Skanda-janma: Śivā/Svāhā, Agni, and the Manifestation of Guha

Mahābhārata 3.214

Devanagari script

व्याध उवाच मूर्धानमाश्रितो वह्निः शरीरं परिपालयन्‌ | प्राणो मूर्थनि चाग्नौ च वर्तमानो विचेष्टते,धर्मव्याध बोला--ब्रह्मन! प्राणीके शरीरको सुरक्षित रखता हुआ अग्निस्वरूप उदान वायु मस्तकका आश्रय लेकर शरीरमें रहता है एवं मुख्य प्राण मस्तक और उदानवायु--इन दोनोंमें स्थित हुआ समस्त शरीरमें जीवनका संचार करता है*

Transliteration

vyādha uvāca

mūrdhānam āśrito vahniḥ śarīraṃ paripālayan |

prāṇo mūrdhni cāgnau ca vartamāno viceṣṭate ||

Translation

قال الصيّاد: «إن مبدأ النار، إذ يتخذ من الرأس مقامًا، يحفظ الجسد. وأما البرانا، إذ تقيم في الرأس وفي تلك النار معًا، فإنها تتحرك وتعمل، وبذلك تُقيم نشاط الجسد كله وحياته.»

Word by Word

• {'vyādhaḥ': 'hunter

• the Dharma-vyādha (righteous hunter) as teacher', 'uvāca': 'said', 'mūrdhānam': 'the head (accusative singular)', 'āśritaḥ': 'having taken refuge in

• resting upon', 'vahniḥ': 'fire

• the fire-principle (agni)', 'śarīram': 'body', 'paripālayan': 'protecting

• safeguarding', 'prāṇaḥ': 'vital breath

• life-force', 'mūrdhni': 'in the head (locative singular)', 'ca': 'and', 'agnau': 'in fire

• in the fire-principle (locative singular)', 'vartamānaḥ': 'being present

• existing', 'viceṣṭate': 'moves

Speaker

व्याध उवाच

Characters & Entities

• धर्मव्याध (Dharma-vyādha)
• अग्नि/वह्नि (Agni, fire-principle)
• प्राण (Prāṇa, vital breath)
• मूर्धा/मस्तक (head)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a physiological image—fire and vital breath stationed in the head—to show how an unseen sustaining principle maintains the whole body. In the Dharma-vyādha’s ethical instruction, this supports the idea that life and duty depend on an inner order; one should respect the sustaining forces (life, discipline, dharma) that uphold the whole.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dharma-vyādha is instructing a Brahmin seeker through practical, reasoned teaching. Here he explains how prāṇa operates together with the fire-principle (often understood with udāna in traditional explanations) to preserve bodily life, as part of a broader lesson on right understanding and right conduct.