Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

सव्याहृतिप्रणवकाः प्राणायामास्तु षोडश । अपि भ्रूणहनं मासात्पुनंत्यहरहः कृताः

Transliteration

savyāhṛtipraṇavakāḥ prāṇāyāmāstu ṣoḍaśa | api bhrūṇahanaṃ māsātpunaṃtyaharahaḥ kṛtāḥ

Translation

ستةَ عشرَ من تمارين ضبط النَّفَس (برانايا̄ما) مقرونةً بالڤيَاهْرِتِيّات وبالبرَنَڤا (أوم)؛ حتى هذه، إذا فُعِلَت كلَّ يوم، تُطهِّر خلال شهرٍ حتى إثمَ قتلِ الجنين.

Word by Word

• sa-vyāhṛti-praṇavakāḥ: accompanied by the vyāhṛtis and praṇava
• sa-vyāhṛti-praṇavakāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह) + vyāhṛti (प्रातिपदिक) + praṇava (प्रातिपदिक) + ka (तद्धित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘व्याहृतिभिः प्रणवेन च सहिताः’ (endowed with vyāhṛtis and praṇava)

• prāṇāyāmāḥ: prāṇāyāmas
• prāṇāyāmāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇāyāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• tu: indeed / but
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-निपात (emphatic/contrastive particle)

• ṣoḍaśa: sixteen
• ṣoḍaśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣoḍaśan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; प्राणायामान् विशेषयति (sixteen in number)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• bhrūṇa-hanaṃ: (the sin of) embryo-killing
• bhrūṇa-hanaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhrūṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + han (धातु) + a (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘भ्रूणस्य हननम्’ (act of killing an embryo)

• māsāt: within a month / from a month
• māsāt: Apādāna/Avadhi (Ablative/limit)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान/काल-सीमा (from/within a month)

• punanti: purify
• punanti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘पुनन्ति’ = they purify

• ahar-ahaḥ: daily
• ahar-ahaḥ: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahar (प्रातिपदिक) + ahaḥ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमासः; अव्ययरूपेण क्रियाविशेषणम् (day by day / daily)

• kṛtāḥ: (when) performed
• kṛtāḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Condition/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘कृताः’ = when performed

Speaker

Unspecified (Dharmāraṇyakhaṇḍa narrative voice; instructional passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king) implied by the surrounding address in the unit

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined practitioner at sunrise performing counted prāṇāyāmas; subtle visual of syllables ‘Oṃ’ and vyāhṛtis emanating as luminous bands, symbolizing purification over time (a month cycle hinted by moon phases).

Characters & Entities

• Praṇava (Oṃ)
• Vyāhṛtis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-linked prāṇāyāma is presented as a powerful purifier even for very grave sins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the verse emphasizes universal purification through sanctioned practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform sixteen prāṇāyāmas daily, joined with the vyāhṛtis and Oṃ (praṇava).