Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73
यावद्देहे स्थितः प्राणो जीवितं तावदुच्यते । निर्गते तत्र मरणं ततः प्राणं निरुंधयेत्
yāvaddehe sthitaḥ prāṇo jīvitaṃ tāvaducyate | nirgate tatra maraṇaṃ tataḥ prāṇaṃ niruṃdhayet
ದೇಹದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಾಣ ಇರುವವರೆಗೆ ಅದನ್ನೇ ‘ಜೀವನ’ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ; ಅದು ಹೊರಟಾಗ ಮರಣ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಪ್ರಾಣವನ್ನು ಶಿಸ್ತುಗೊಳಿಸಿ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಿಸಬೇಕು।
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A contemplative yogin near a cremation ghat at dusk, reflecting on prāṇa and mortality; the breath is shown as a subtle luminous thread within the body.
FAQs
Recognizing prāṇa as the basis of embodied life, the seeker trains it to gain mastery over instability and mortality-fear.
Kāśī is the implied sacred context in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where disciplines aimed at liberation are especially praised.
Restraint and regulation of prāṇa—i.e., prāṇāyāma as a disciplined practice.