Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

तदन्नं पिण्डकवलैर्ग्रासैर्भुक्तं च देहिभिः । पूर्वं स्थूलाशये वायुः प्राणः प्रकुरुते द्विधा

Transliteration

tadannaṃ piṇḍakavalairgrāsairbhuktaṃ ca dehibhiḥ | pūrvaṃ sthūlāśaye vāyuḥ prāṇaḥ prakurute dvidhā

Translation

Makanan itu dimakan oleh makhluk berjasad dalam bentuk gumpalan dan suapan. Mula-mula ia sampai ke lambung kasar; di sana Prāṇa, udara hayat, bekerja atasnya dengan dua cara.

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular)

• पिण्ड-कवलैः: with lumps and morsels
• पिण्ड-कवलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + कवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्वः (lumps and morsels)

• ग्रासैः: with mouthfuls
• ग्रासैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (masculine, instrumental plural)

• भुक्तम्: eaten
• भुक्तम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• देहिभिः: by embodied beings
• देहिभिः: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (masculine, instrumental plural)

• पूर्वम्: first
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb: first)

• स्थूल-आशये: in the stomach (gross receptacle)
• स्थूल-आशये: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थूल (प्रातिपदिक) + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (in the 'gross receptacle' i.e., stomach)

• वायुः: wind
• वायुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

• प्राणः: prāṇa (vital air)
• प्राणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular); वायोः विशेषण/अपपद (apposition to vāyu)

• प्रकुरुते: acts/does
• प्रकुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् (present indicative, 3rd person singular, middle)

• द्विधा: in two ways
• द्विधा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्विधा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (in two ways)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic depiction of food entering the stomach and prāṇa acting in two ways—separating and activating digestion—shown as subtle winds moving within the body.

Characters & Entities

• Prāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Life is sustained by prāṇa, not by mere matter; gratitude and discipline toward the life-force support dharmic living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is physiological teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it describes how eating is processed within the body.