Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

समानो धारयत्यन्नं विवेचयति चाप्यथ । रसयंश्चैव चरति सर्वश्रोणिष्ववारितः

Transliteration

samāno dhārayatyannaṃ vivecayati cāpyatha | rasayaṃścaiva carati sarvaśroṇiṣvavāritaḥ

Translation

Samāna hält die Nahrung im Innern fest und scheidet dann ihr Wesen aus und verteilt es; ungehindert durch alle Kanäle des Leibes wandernd, lässt er den rasa, den nährenden Saft, zirkulieren.

Word by Word

• samānaḥ: samāna (vital air)
• samānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्राणवायु-विशेषः

• dhārayati: holds, sustains
• dhārayati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhṛ (धृ धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• annam: food
• annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vivecayati: separates, discriminates
• vivecayati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√vic (विच्/विच् धातु; causative sense)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction “and”)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि (particle: “also/even”)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/प्रसङ्ग (discourse particle: “then/now”)

• rasayan: making (it) sapid / digesting into rasa
• rasayan: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rasayan (प्रातिपदिक; वर्तमानकृदन्त-प्रायः)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्ययार्थः, “causing to taste/seasoning”); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समानाḥ इति विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• eva: indeed
• eva: Emphasis (Avadhāraṇa/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle “indeed/just”)

• carati: moves, circulates
• carati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (चर् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• sarva-śroṇiṣu: in all the pelvic regions
• sarva-śroṇiṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + śroṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थः: “in all the hips/pelvic regions”

• avāritaḥ: unobstructed
• avāritaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-√vṛ (वृ धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle) नकारार्थ-उपसर्ग (a-); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “unobstructed”

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogic diagram centered at the navel region: samāna as a golden circular current ‘holding’ food, then branching into fine channels carrying luminous rasa throughout the body; waste streams separated downward.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner harmony (samāna) transforms intake into strength; dharma includes balanced living where nourishment becomes serviceable energy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is praised in this verse; it is a yogic explanation of digestion and distribution.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is mentioned; the implication is moderation in food and disciplined routine.