Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

व्यानो हृदि स्थितो नित्यं तथा देहचरोपि च । धातुवृद्धिप्रदः स्वेदलालोन्मेषनिमेषकृत्

Transliteration

vyāno hṛdi sthito nityaṃ tathā dehacaropi ca | dhātuvṛddhipradaḥ svedalālonmeṣanimeṣakṛt

Translation

Vyāna abides ever in the heart and yet moves throughout the body. It promotes the growth of the bodily constituents (dhātu) and produces sweating, salivation, and the opening and closing of the eyes.

Word by Word

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

• hṛdi: in the heart
• hṛdi: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• sthitaḥ: situated
• sthitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “situated”

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययवत्; “always” (adverbial accusative)

• tathā: and also
• tathā: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थ

• deha-caraḥ: moving through the body
• deha-caraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक) + cara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: “moving in the body”

• api: also
• api: Emphasis/Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (also)

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

• dhātu-vṛddhi-pradaḥ: causing increase of dhātus
• dhātu-vṛddhi-pradaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhātu (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: “giver of increase of bodily constituents”

• sveda-lālā-unmeṣa-nimeṣa-kṛt: producing sweat, saliva, blinking/opening and closing
• sveda-lālā-unmeṣa-nimeṣa-kṛt: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sveda (प्रातिपदिक) + lālā (प्रातिपदिक) + unmeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + nimeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (कृत्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: “producer of sweat, saliva, opening (of eyes), and closing (of eyes)”

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous heart-lotus at center with vyāna radiating as fine silver threads throughout limbs; small motifs for sweat droplets, saliva at lips, and eyelids opening/closing—symbolic, not clinical.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine order pervades the whole body through vyāna; reverence for life includes caring for health as a support for sādhana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; this is a teaching on the pervading life-wind.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; it aligns with yogic observances that steady the heart and balance the life-force.