Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 34
तथेंद्रियवृतो दोषः प्राणायामेन दह्यते । गोशतं कापिलं दत्त्वा यत्फलं तत्फलं भवेत्
tatheṃdriyavṛto doṣaḥ prāṇāyāmena dahyate | gośataṃ kāpilaṃ dattvā yatphalaṃ tatphalaṃ bhavet
Ainsi aussi, la faute enlacée aux sens est consumée par le prāṇāyāma. Quel que soit le fruit du don de cent vaches fauves, tel est le fruit qui en découle.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced)
Scene: A yogin seated in padmāsana, eyes half-closed, controlling the breath; a subtle ‘fire’ of prāṇa consuming dark smoke-like impurities around the senses; in the background, a symbolic row of tawny cows indicating dāna-merit equivalence.
FAQs
Prāṇāyāma is praised as a powerful purifier of sense-bound faults and is equated in merit to major acts of charity.
No tīrtha is named; the verse glorifies the practice itself by comparing its fruit to an esteemed dāna.
Go-dāna (gift of a hundred kapilā cows) is cited as a benchmark of merit; prāṇāyāma is said to yield comparable fruit.