Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

ज्वलज्वलनपुंजाभं शीलयन्नुष्मगुं हृदि । अनेन याम्यायामेन योगींद्रः शर्मभाग्भवेत्

Transliteration

jvalajvalanapuṃjābhaṃ śīlayannuṣmaguṃ hṛdi | anena yāmyāyāmena yogīṃdraḥ śarmabhāgbhavet

Translation

ഹൃദയത്തിൽ ജ്വലിക്കുന്ന അഗ്നിപുഞ്ചംപോലെയുള്ള ഉഷ്ണതയെ അഭ്യസിച്ച്, ഈ ‘യാമ്യ’ പ്രാണായാമംകൊണ്ട് യോഗികളിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠനായ യോഗി ശാന്തിയും ക്ഷേമവും പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ज्वल-ज्वलन-पुञ्ज-आभम्: having the appearance of a mass of blazing fire
• ज्वल-ज्वलन-पुञ्ज-आभम्: Karma (Object-complement/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्वल (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्वलन (प्रातिपदिक) + पुञ्ज (प्रातिपदिक) + आभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular; विशेषण; समासः (षष्ठी/तत्पुरुषार्थे) ‘ज्वलनपुञ्जस्य आभा यस्य’

• शीलयन्: practising/meditating upon
• शीलयन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √शील् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), परस्मैपदी, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Present active participle nom. sg

• उष्मगुम्: the heat (inner warmth)
• उष्मगुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उष्मगु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• हृदि: in the heart
• हृदि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular

• अनेन: by this
• अनेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental singular (pronoun)

• याम्य-आयामेन: by the yāmya prāṇāyāma (southern/associated practice)
• याम्य-आयामेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याम्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आयाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental singular; समासः (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषभावे) ‘याम्यः आयामः’

• योगीन्द्रः: lord among yogins
• योगीन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Nominative singular; समासः ‘योगिनाम् इन्द्रः’

• शर्म-भाग्: a sharer of bliss/peace
• शर्म-भाग्: Karta-visheshana (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Nominative singular; समासः ‘शर्मणः भागी’

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Optative 3rd sg

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin with closed eyes, a contained flame-lotus glowing at the heart center, radiance controlled and serene; subtle southern-direction motif (yāmya) via a faint Yama-dik emblem or warm southward light, with Kāśī’s sacred skyline behind.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (implied)
• Hṛd (heart)
• Yāmya-āyāma
• Yogīndra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Directed breath with inner heat-contemplation purifies and stabilizes the practitioner, yielding peace and strength.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s sacred teaching milieu; no single tīrtha is singled out in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Practice the yāmya form of prāṇāyāma while contemplating a blazing fire-like heat in the heart.