Shloka 3

Skanda-janma: Śivā/Svāhā, Agni, and the Manifestation of Guha

Mahābhārata 3.214

Devanagari script

व्याध उवाच मूर्धानमाश्रितो वह्निः शरीरं परिपालयन्‌ | प्राणो मूर्थनि चाग्नौ च वर्तमानो विचेष्टते,धर्मव्याध बोला--ब्रह्मन! प्राणीके शरीरको सुरक्षित रखता हुआ अग्निस्वरूप उदान वायु मस्तकका आश्रय लेकर शरीरमें रहता है एवं मुख्य प्राण मस्तक और उदानवायु--इन दोनोंमें स्थित हुआ समस्त शरीरमें जीवनका संचार करता है*

Transliteration

vyādha uvāca

mūrdhānam āśrito vahniḥ śarīraṃ paripālayan |

prāṇo mūrdhni cāgnau ca vartamāno viceṣṭate ||

Translation

ವ್ಯಾಧನು ಹೇಳಿದನು— ಹೇ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ! ತಲೆಯನ್ನು ಆಶ್ರಯಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವ ಅಗ್ನಿತತ್ತ್ವವು ದೇಹವನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರಾಣವು ತಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಆ ಅಗ್ನಿಯಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಸ್ಥಿತನಾಗಿ ಸಮಸ್ತ ದೇಹದಲ್ಲಿ ಚೇಷ್ಟೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ.

Word by Word

• {'vyādhaḥ': 'hunter

• the Dharma-vyādha (righteous hunter) as teacher', 'uvāca': 'said', 'mūrdhānam': 'the head (accusative singular)', 'āśritaḥ': 'having taken refuge in

• resting upon', 'vahniḥ': 'fire

• the fire-principle (agni)', 'śarīram': 'body', 'paripālayan': 'protecting

• safeguarding', 'prāṇaḥ': 'vital breath

• life-force', 'mūrdhni': 'in the head (locative singular)', 'ca': 'and', 'agnau': 'in fire

• in the fire-principle (locative singular)', 'vartamānaḥ': 'being present

• existing', 'viceṣṭate': 'moves

Speaker

व्याध उवाच

Characters & Entities

• धर्मव्याध (Dharma-vyādha)
• अग्नि/वह्नि (Agni, fire-principle)
• प्राण (Prāṇa, vital breath)
• मूर्धा/मस्तक (head)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a physiological image—fire and vital breath stationed in the head—to show how an unseen sustaining principle maintains the whole body. In the Dharma-vyādha’s ethical instruction, this supports the idea that life and duty depend on an inner order; one should respect the sustaining forces (life, discipline, dharma) that uphold the whole.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dharma-vyādha is instructing a Brahmin seeker through practical, reasoned teaching. Here he explains how prāṇa operates together with the fire-principle (often understood with udāna in traditional explanations) to preserve bodily life, as part of a broader lesson on right understanding and right conduct.