Shloka 1
Skanda-janma: Śivā/Svāhā, Agni, and the Manifestation of Guha
Mahābhārata 3.214
#::73:.8 #:23::.7 () हि 2 7 त्रयोदशाधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: प्राणवायुकी स्थितिका वर्णन तथा परमात्म-साक्षात्कारके उपाय ब्राह्मण उवाच पार्थिवं धातुमासाद्य शारीरो5ग्नि: कथं भवेत् । अवकाशविशेषेण कथं वर्तयतेडनिल:,ब्राह्मणने पूछा--व्याध! शरीरमें रहनेवाला अग्निस्वरूप प्राण पार्थिव धातुका अवलम्बन करके कैसे रहता है? और प्राणवायु नाड़ियोंके मार्गविशेषके द्वारा किस प्रकार (रस-रक्तादिका) संचालन करता है?
brāhmaṇa uvāca | pārthivaṁ dhātum āsādya śārīro 'gniḥ kathaṁ bhavet | avakāśa-viśeṣeṇa kathaṁ vartayate 'nilaḥ |
The Brahmin said: “O hunter, how does the bodily fire—prāṇa in the form of inner heat—subsist by taking support of the earthly constituent within the body? And how does the vital wind (prāṇa-vāyu), moving through the body’s distinct channels and spaces, carry out its functions and circulate the bodily fluids such as chyle and blood?”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an inquiry into how prāṇa (vital force) and the inner ‘fire’ function within the body by relying on elemental constituents and moving through specific internal pathways. It sets up a yogic-ethical teaching: understanding the body’s workings becomes a step toward discerning the Self beyond the body and approaching realization of the Paramātman.
A Brahmin addresses a hunter (vyādha) and asks technical questions about the bodily fire and the movement of prāṇa-vāyu—how they depend on the ‘earthy’ support in the body and how prāṇa operates through distinct internal spaces/channels. This initiates a didactic exchange leading toward methods of spiritual insight.