Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

यदा चाभ्यन्तरो वायुर्बाह्ये याति क्रमान्नृप । तदा स रेचको ज्ञेयः स्तम्भनात्कुम्भको भवेत्

Transliteration

yadā cābhyantaro vāyurbāhye yāti kramānnṛpa | tadā sa recako jñeyaḥ stambhanātkumbhako bhavet

Translation

Wahai Raja, apabila angin hayat di dalam bergerak keluar sedikit demi sedikit, itulah yang harus difahami sebagai “recaka” (hembusan nafas). Apabila ia ditahan dan didiamkan, maka jadilah “kumbhaka” (tahanan nafas).

Word by Word

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

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• abhyantaraḥ: internal
• abhyantaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhyantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘वायुः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (internal)

• vāyuḥ: breath; air
• vāyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (wind/breath)

• bāhye: to the outside
• bāhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘बाह्य’ = outside (to the exterior)

• yāti: goes
• yāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (या) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (goes)

• kramāt: gradually; in sequence
• kramāt: Kriya (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत्—‘क्रमात्’ (gradually/in order)

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• 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

• recakaḥ: recaka (exhalation)
• recakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: recaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• stambhanāt: from retention; by stopping
• stambhanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stambhana (प्रातिपदिक; √stambh (स्तम्भ्) ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; कारणार्थे—‘स्तम्भनात्’ (from/through retention)

• kumbhakaḥ: kumbhaka (retention)
• kumbhakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumbhaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (breath-retention)

• bhavet: becomes
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू) (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; ‘भवेत्’ (would be/comes to be)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva), instructing the King

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The disciple practices slow exhalation; the breath is depicted as a faint stream leaving the nostrils; then a still moment—kumbhaka—shown by a luminous aura held at the heart/navel; guru gestures ‘stop/hold’.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• nṛpa (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Disciplined regulation of prāṇa—exhaling and then restraining—forms a foundation for yogic steadiness and inner realization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, tying yogic practice to the sanctity of Vastrāpatha in the Prabhāsa sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yogic prescription: recognizing recaka (exhalation) and practicing kumbhaka (retention) through restraint of the breath.