Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

प्राग्नाभ्यां हृदये वायुरथ तालौ भ्रुवोंऽतरे । चतुर्दले षड्दशे च द्वादशे षोडशद्विके

Transliteration

prāgnābhyāṃ hṛdaye vāyuratha tālau bhruvoṃ'tare | caturdale ṣaḍdaśe ca dvādaśe ṣoḍaśadvike

Translation

पहले योगी नाभि-प्रदेश से प्राणवायु को हृदय में स्थापित करे; फिर उसे तालु और भ्रूमध्य में ले जाए—चार दल, सोलह दल, बारह दल और दो बार सोलह दल वाले कमल-केन्द्रों में।

Word by Word

• prāk: before; in front (of)
• prāk: Adhikarana (Locative sense marker/अधिकरण-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prāk (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), उपसर्ग/पूर्वप्रयोगार्थक अव्यय (prepositional adverb): ‘before/forward’

• nābhyām: at/with the two nābhis (navel region)
• nābhyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nābhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), द्विवचन (dual)

• hṛdaye: in the heart
• hṛdaye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (sg.)

• vāyuḥ: wind; vital air
• vāyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (sg.)

• atha: then; next
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), अव्यय-समुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक (then/next)

• tālau: in the palate
• tālau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tālu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (sg.) (Vedic/epic locative form used for ‘in/on the palate’)

• bhruvoḥ: of the two eyebrows
• bhruvoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), द्विवचन (dual)

• antare: in the space between
• antare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (sg.)

• caturdale: in the four-petalled (lotus)
• caturdale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur + dala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (sg.); द्विगु-समास (numeral compound): ‘four-petalled’

• ṣaḍdaśe: in the sixteen(-petalled)
• ṣaḍdaśe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṭ + daśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (sg.); द्विगु-समास: ‘sixteen(-petalled)’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• dvādaśe: in the twelve(-petalled)
• dvādaśe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi + daśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (sg.); द्विगु-समास: ‘twelve(-petalled)’

• ṣoḍaśa-dvike: in the double-sixteen (two sets of sixteen)
• ṣoḍaśa-dvike: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣoḍaśa + dvika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (sg.); कर्मधारय-समास: ‘(in) the pair of sixteen’ / ‘sixteenfold pair’ (context: two sets of sixteen)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (addressed as interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin seated in padmāsana; subtle luminous channels rising from navel to heart, to the palate, to the space between the eyebrows; lotuses of differing petal-counts glowing at each station.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dhāraṇā involves placing and guiding prāṇa through inner centres—from navel to heart, palate, and the space between the eyebrows.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No external tīrtha is praised; the ‘sacred geography’ here is internal—lotus-centres within the subtle body.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yogic prescription is given: sequentially lead vāyu to specified inner loci associated with lotus petal counts.