Shloka 7
Skanda-janma: Śivā/Svāhā, Agni, and the Manifestation of Guha
Mahābhārata 3.214
बस्तिमूलं गुदं चैव पावकं समुपाश्रित: । वहन् मूत्र पूरीषं वाउप्यपान: परिवर्तते,समानवायुके रूपमें जठराग्निका आश्रय ले वह प्राण जब मूत्राशय और गुदामें स्थित होता है, उस समय मल और मूत्रका भार वहन करनेके कारण वह अपानवायुके नामसे विख्यात हो संचरण करता है
bastimūlaṃ gudaṃ caiva pāvakaṃ samupāśritaḥ | vahan mūtra-purīṣaṃ vā apy apānaḥ parivartate ||
O caçador disse: “Quando o vento vital toma sua posição na raiz da bexiga e no ânus, sustentando o fogo do corpo, ele carrega o peso da urina e das fezes; nessa função ele circula e é conhecido como apāna, o sopro que se move para baixo.”
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
It explains the functional differentiation of the vital winds: when the life-breath operates in the lower region, bearing and expelling urine and feces while supporting digestive fire, it is termed apāna. Knowing the body’s ordered functions supports self-control and dharmic living.
In the hunter’s instruction (Vyādha’s discourse), he teaches about inner discipline through knowledge—here, describing how prāṇa functions as apāna in the bladder/anus region and governs elimination, as part of a broader ethical-spiritual teaching.