Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

गृहीत्वा पवनं बाह्यं यदा पूर यते तनुम् । तदा स पूरको ज्ञेयो रेचकं तु वदाम्यहम्

Transliteration

gṛhītvā pavanaṃ bāhyaṃ yadā pūra yate tanum | tadā sa pūrako jñeyo recakaṃ tu vadāmyaham

Translation

Wenn man den äußeren Atem einzieht und dadurch den Leib erfüllt, ist dies als pūraka (Einatmung) zu erkennen. Nun will ich recaka (Ausatmung) darlegen.

Word by Word

• gṛhītvā: having taken in
• gṛhītvā: Kriya (Verbal adjunct/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (ग्रह्) (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive); having taken/held

• pavanam: breath; wind
• pavanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (wind/breath)

• bāhyam: external (outside)
• bāhyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘पवनम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (external)

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kriya (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (when)

• pūrayate: fills
• pūrayate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pṝ (पॄ/पूर्) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; ‘पूरयते’ = fills

• tanum: the body
• tanum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (body)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kriya (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

• saḥ: that (process)
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pūrakaḥ: pūraka (inhalation)
• pūrakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (inhalation/filling)

• jñeyaḥ: is to be known
• jñeyaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √jñā (ज्ञा) (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (यत्) ‘ज्ञेय’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेयविशेषणम्—‘ज्ञेयः’ (is to be known)

• recakam: recaka (exhalation)
• recakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: recaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (exhalation)

• tu: but; indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (but/indeed)

• vadāmi: I explain/say
• vadāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (वद्) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (I say)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sārasvata (continued narration/teaching)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-figure (Īśvara) instructs a seated yogin/kingly disciple; the breath is shown as a subtle stream entering the nostrils, filling the torso like a luminous current; background hints of coastal Prabhāsa shrines and sacred groves.

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Breath-discipline is treated as a sacred technology for inner control, supporting meditation and spiritual steadiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction appears within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra māhātmya of Prabhāsa, linking yogic practice with the sanctity of place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prāṇāyāma is defined: pūraka (inhalation) as drawing in outer breath to fill the body; recaka (exhalation) is introduced for explanation.