Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

ज्वलज्वलनपुंजाभं शीलयन्नुष्मगुं हृदि । अनेन याम्यायामेन योगींद्रः शर्मभाग्भवेत्

Transliteration

jvalajvalanapuṃjābhaṃ śīlayannuṣmaguṃ hṛdi | anena yāmyāyāmena yogīṃdraḥ śarmabhāgbhavet

Translation

Indem er im Herzen eine Hitze pflegt, die einem lodernden Feuerhaufen gleicht, wird der vorzügliche Yogi durch dieses «südliche» Prāṇāyāma teilhaftig an Frieden und Wohlergehen.

Word by Word

• ज्वल-ज्वलन-पुञ्ज-आभम्: having the appearance of a mass of blazing fire
• ज्वल-ज्वलन-पुञ्ज-आभम्: Karma (Object-complement/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्वल (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्वलन (प्रातिपदिक) + पुञ्ज (प्रातिपदिक) + आभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular; विशेषण; समासः (षष्ठी/तत्पुरुषार्थे) ‘ज्वलनपुञ्जस्य आभा यस्य’

• शीलयन्: practising/meditating upon
• शीलयन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √शील् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), परस्मैपदी, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Present active participle nom. sg

• उष्मगुम्: the heat (inner warmth)
• उष्मगुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उष्मगु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• हृदि: in the heart
• हृदि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular

• अनेन: by this
• अनेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental singular (pronoun)

• याम्य-आयामेन: by the yāmya prāṇāyāma (southern/associated practice)
• याम्य-आयामेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याम्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आयाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental singular; समासः (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषभावे) ‘याम्यः आयामः’

• योगीन्द्रः: lord among yogins
• योगीन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Nominative singular; समासः ‘योगिनाम् इन्द्रः’

• शर्म-भाग्: a sharer of bliss/peace
• शर्म-भाग्: Karta-visheshana (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Nominative singular; समासः ‘शर्मणः भागी’

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Optative 3rd sg

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin with closed eyes, a contained flame-lotus glowing at the heart center, radiance controlled and serene; subtle southern-direction motif (yāmya) via a faint Yama-dik emblem or warm southward light, with Kāśī’s sacred skyline behind.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (implied)
• Hṛd (heart)
• Yāmya-āyāma
• Yogīndra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Directed breath with inner heat-contemplation purifies and stabilizes the practitioner, yielding peace and strength.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s sacred teaching milieu; no single tīrtha is singled out in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Practice the yāmya form of prāṇāyāma while contemplating a blazing fire-like heat in the heart.