Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

अहं चैव करिष्यामि प्राणायामशतत्रयम् । नित्यमेव द्विजश्रेष्ठाः षष्ठकालकृताशनः

Transliteration

ahaṃ caiva kariṣyāmi prāṇāyāmaśatatrayam | nityameva dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ ṣaṣṭhakālakṛtāśanaḥ

Translation

ഞാൻ തന്നേ മൂന്നു നൂറ് പ്രാണായാമങ്ങൾ ചെയ്യും. ഹേ ദ്വിജശ്രേഷ്ഠന്മാരേ, ഞാൻ ഇത് നിത്യവും ഷഷ്ഠകാലത്തിൽ മാത്രം ആഹാരം കഴിച്ച് നിയമത്തോടെ ആചരിക്കും.

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, उत्तमपुरुष-सूचक; एकवचन; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nominative/Accusative Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• करिष्यामि: I will do
• करिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्राणायामशतत्रयम्: three hundred (sets) of prāṇāyāma
• प्राणायामशतत्रयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणायाम (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (कर्म) एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/निर्देश-समास (शतस्य त्रयम्)

• नित्यम्: daily/always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् (adverbial accusative)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (श्रेष्ठाः द्विजाः)

• षष्ठकालकृताशनः: one who has taken food at the sixth time (i.e., eating only at the sixth period)
• षष्ठकालकृताशनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृ-धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय) + अशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठे काले कृतम् अशनम् यस्य) — ‘षष्ठकालकृताशन’ इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Unspecified (the same authority figure speaking in first person)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmasthāna (Nāgara-kṣetra context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ / dvijottamāḥ (assembled brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vow-taking ascetic/householder stands before assembled brāhmaṇas at a sacred precinct, seated near a tīrtha platform; he performs prāṇāyāma with controlled posture, while a simple single-meal offering is shown at the prescribed time.

Characters & Entities

• Prāṇāyāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True purification is not only external; it is sustained by daily tapas—breath-discipline and restraint in food.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is a discipline instruction within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa tīrtha context; the verse itself does not name a site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Three hundred prāṇāyāmas, performed daily, along with regulated eating at a fixed time.