Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

उच्छ्वासश्चैव निःश्वासो ह्यन्नपानप्रवेशनम् । आकंठाच्छीर्षसंस्थास्य प्राणकर्म प्रकीर्तितम्

Transliteration

ucchvāsaścaiva niḥśvāso hyannapānapraveśanam | ākaṃṭhācchīrṣasaṃsthāsya prāṇakarma prakīrtitam

Translation

ഉച്ഛ്വാസം, നിശ്വാസം, അന്നപാനങ്ങളുടെ പ്രവേശനം—ഇവയാണ് പ്രാണന്റെ കര്‍മ്മങ്ങളെന്ന് പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്നു; അതിന്റെ ആസനം കണ്ഠത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ശിരസ്സുവരെ ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ucchvāsaḥ: inhalation/breathing in
• ucchvāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ucchvāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphasis)

• niḥśvāsaḥ: exhalation/breathing out
• niḥśvāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niḥśvāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: for/indeed)

• anna-pāna-praveśanam: the entry of food and drink
• anna-pāna-praveśanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक) + pāna (प्रातिपदिक) + praveśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार/तत्पुरुष (anna-pāna-प्रवेशः), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ā-kaṇṭhāt: from/up to the throat
• ā-kaṇṭhāt: Apadana (Limit/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ā (उपसर्ग) + kaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; ‘आ’ उपसर्गेण ‘पर्यन्त’ अर्थः (up to/from the throat)

• śīrṣa-saṃsthā: situated in the head
• śīrṣa-saṃsthā: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śīrṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsthā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (śīrṣe saṃsthā), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (प्राण-क्रिया/नाडी प्रति)

• asya: of this
• asya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (इदम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन (genitive singular pronoun)

• prāṇa-karma: the function of prāṇa
• prāṇa-karma: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + karma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (prāṇasya karma), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• prakīrtitam: is proclaimed/declared
• prakīrtitam: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kīrt (कीर्त् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः ‘प्रकीर्तितम्/उक्तम्’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prāṇa-sthāna (ākaṇṭha–śīrṣa) inner tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija/ṛṣi audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin with a luminous band from throat to crown; breath shown as two alternating streams (ucchvāsa/niḥśvāsa); a simple bowl of water and alms-food nearby, indicating mindful intake as part of discipline.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Breath and nourishment are sacred operations of prāṇa; mindful regulation of them supports purity and yogic steadiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse focuses on inner sacred physiology rather than pilgrimage geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse implicitly supports prāṇāyāma and disciplined intake as dharmic self-care.