Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

गृहीत्वा पवनं बाह्यं यदा पूर यते तनुम् । तदा स पूरको ज्ञेयो रेचकं तु वदाम्यहम्

Transliteration

gṛhītvā pavanaṃ bāhyaṃ yadā pūra yate tanum | tadā sa pūrako jñeyo recakaṃ tu vadāmyaham

Translation

ബാഹ്യപ്രാണവായുവിനെ ഉൾക്കൊണ്ട് ദേഹം നിറയ്ക്കുമ്പോൾ അതിനെ ‘പൂരക’മെന്നു അറിയണം; ഇനി ഞാൻ ‘രേചക’ത്തെ വിശദീകരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• gṛhītvā: having taken in
• gṛhītvā: Kriya (Verbal adjunct/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (ग्रह्) (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive); having taken/held

• pavanam: breath; wind
• pavanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (wind/breath)

• bāhyam: external (outside)
• bāhyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘पवनम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (external)

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kriya (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (when)

• pūrayate: fills
• pūrayate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pṝ (पॄ/पूर्) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; ‘पूरयते’ = fills

• tanum: the body
• tanum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (body)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kriya (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

• saḥ: that (process)
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pūrakaḥ: pūraka (inhalation)
• pūrakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (inhalation/filling)

• jñeyaḥ: is to be known
• jñeyaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √jñā (ज्ञा) (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (यत्) ‘ज्ञेय’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेयविशेषणम्—‘ज्ञेयः’ (is to be known)

• recakam: recaka (exhalation)
• recakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: recaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (exhalation)

• tu: but; indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (but/indeed)

• vadāmi: I explain/say
• vadāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (वद्) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (I say)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sārasvata (continued narration/teaching)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-figure (Īśvara) instructs a seated yogin/kingly disciple; the breath is shown as a subtle stream entering the nostrils, filling the torso like a luminous current; background hints of coastal Prabhāsa shrines and sacred groves.

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Breath-discipline is treated as a sacred technology for inner control, supporting meditation and spiritual steadiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction appears within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra māhātmya of Prabhāsa, linking yogic practice with the sanctity of place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prāṇāyāma is defined: pūraka (inhalation) as drawing in outer breath to fill the body; recaka (exhalation) is introduced for explanation.