Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

तथेंद्रियवृतो दोषः प्राणायामेन दह्यते । गोशतं कापिलं दत्त्वा यत्फलं तत्फलं भवेत्

Transliteration

tatheṃdriyavṛto doṣaḥ prāṇāyāmena dahyate | gośataṃ kāpilaṃ dattvā yatphalaṃ tatphalaṃ bhavet

Translation

Demikian pula, noda yang terbalut oleh indria dibakar habis oleh prāṇāyāma. Buah pahala yang timbul dari mendermakan seratus sapi kapila (kecokelatan)—pahala yang sama itulah yang diperoleh darinya.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that way
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb)

• इन्द्रिय-वृतः: covered/obstructed by the senses
• इन्द्रिय-वृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत (कृदन्त; √वृ (धातु) क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त विशेषण (past passive participle)

• दोषः: fault, impurity
• दोषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्राणायामेन: by prāṇāyāma (breath-control)
• प्राणायामेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणायाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• दह्यते: is burned up
• दह्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• गो-शतम्: a hundred cows
• गो-शतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (numeral compound)

• कापिलम्: tawny/brown (Kapila-colored)
• कापिलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कापिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying गोशतम्)

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• यत्-फलम्: whatever fruit/result
• यत्-फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-तत्पुरुष (relative compound)

• तत्-फलम्: that fruit/result
• तत्-फलम्: Pratijna/Upamana (Correlative/प्रतिज्ञा-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-तत्पुरुष

• भवेत्: would be, becomes
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

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.

Characters & Entities

• Indriyas
• Kapilā-go (tawny cows)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prāṇāyāma is praised as a powerful purifier of sense-bound faults and is equated in merit to major acts of charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse glorifies the practice itself by comparing its fruit to an esteemed dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go-dāna (gift of a hundred kapilā cows) is cited as a benchmark of merit; prāṇāyāma is said to yield comparable fruit.