Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

षट्त्रिंशदंगुलो हंसः प्रयाणं कुरुते बहिः । सव्यापसव्यमार्गेण प्रयाणात्प्राण उच्यते

Transliteration

ṣaṭtriṃśadaṃgulo haṃsaḥ prayāṇaṃ kurute bahiḥ | savyāpasavyamārgeṇa prayāṇātprāṇa ucyate

Translation

Der haṃsa (der Lebenshauch) zieht nach außen bis zum Maß von sechsunddreißig Aṅgulas. Weil er auf dem linken und rechten Pfad wandert, heißt er „prāṇa“ — der, der voranschreitet.

Word by Word

• षट्त्रिंशत्: thirty-six
• षट्त्रिंशत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् (संख्या) + त्रिंशत् (संख्या)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (numeral), अव्ययवत्/प्रातिपदिकवत् प्रयोगः; समासे 'षट्-त्रिंशत्' = 36

• अङ्गुलः: a finger-breadth (measure)
• अङ्गुलः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• हंसः: Haṃsa (breath/bird; here vital principle)
• हंसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रयाणम्: movement; going forth
• प्रयाणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• कुरुते: does; makes
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• बहिः: outside
• बहिः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहिः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• सव्यापसव्यमार्गेण: by the left-and-right path
• सव्यापसव्यमार्गेण: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अपसव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); समासः: सव्य + अपसव्य (द्वन्द्व) ततः मार्गेण सह तत्पुरुषभावः

• प्रयाणात्: from (its) movement
• प्रयाणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्राणः: prāṇa (vital breath)
• प्राणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stylized swan (haṃsa) made of breath-mist moving out from the nostrils in a measured arc; two luminous channels (left/right) flanking the central axis.

Characters & Entities

• Haṃsa
• Prāṇa
• Iḍā (implied)
• Piṅgalā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Breath is sacred and patterned; understanding its pathways is a foundation for yogic mastery and inner purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred setting; the verse itself focuses on yogic physiology taught within Kāśī’s dharma framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is prescribed; it defines prāṇa’s movement and its left-right channels as a basis for practice.