Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80
तत्प्रत्याययितव्योसौ क्रमेणारण्यहस्तिवत् । वन्यो गजो गजारिर्वा क्रमेण मृदुतामियात्
tatpratyāyayitavyosau krameṇāraṇyahastivat | vanyo gajo gajārirvā krameṇa mṛdutāmiyāt
Потому его следует обуздывать постепенно — как дикого лесного слона. Дикий слон, да и даже враг слона, становится кротким лишь шаг за шагом.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A symbolic scene: a wild elephant being gently trained with patience; intercut with a yogin calmly regulating breath—two panels showing the same principle of gradual control.
FAQs
Mastery of prāṇa requires patience and gradual training; force is counterproductive, while steady practice yields gentleness and control.
The verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered discourse, though it uses a universal metaphor rather than naming a tīrtha.
A practical rule: regulate and ‘bring back’ prāṇa step-by-step (krameṇa), like taming a wild elephant.