Shloka 31
Dharma of the Renunciant: Alms Discipline, Meditation, and Expiations
तेन धारयितव्या वै प्राणायामास्तु षोडश । दिवास्कंदे त्रिरात्रं स्यात्प्राणायामशतं बुधाः
tena dhārayitavyā vai prāṇāyāmāstu ṣoḍaśa | divāskaṃde trirātraṃ syātprāṇāyāmaśataṃ budhāḥ
అందుచేత పదహారు ప్రాణాయామాలను నిశ్చయంగా ఆచరించవలెను. దివాస్కంద సమయమున మూడు రాత్రులు, జ్ఞానులు వంద ప్రాణాయామాలను విధించుచున్నారు।
Unspecified (context-dependent narrator/instructor within Svargakhaṇḍa)
Concept: Prāṇāyāma is prescribed in specific counts and intensified over a three-night period to purify and stabilize the practitioner.
Application: Adopt measured breath practice (within one’s capacity and guidance), using consistent counts and short observances to reset the nervous system and attention.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A disciplined ascetic sits in padmāsana beside a small sacred fire, counting breaths with a mālā as the air around him subtly ripples. Over three nights, the sky shifts from dusk to star-filled midnight to pre-dawn, suggesting the prescribed intensification and the quiet power of regulated prāṇa.","primary_figures":["ascetic practitioner (yati)"],"setting":"forest hermitage with yajña-kuṇḍa, kusa mat, starry sky, minimal ritual implements","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["midnight blue","ember orange","ash white","copper brown","star silver"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: seated yogic ascetic in padmāsana with japa-mālā, a small glowing homa fire, stylized waves of prāṇa shown as gold-leaf filigree around the torso; rich red backdrop, ornate border with lotus and chakra motifs, luminous highlights on fire and beads.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: tranquil night hermitage with delicate stars, the yogin counting breaths, thin smoke from a tiny fire; cool blues and soft browns, refined facial calm, lyrical trees framing the scene.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, simplified yogin posture, symbolic breath-streams as curved bands, fire rendered in flat orange-red; temple-wall symmetry, strong indigo and ochre palette.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central yogin framed by concentric lotus rings suggesting breath cycles; border includes crescent moons and stars for the three-night observance; deep blue cloth with gold and white detailing, subtle Vishnu symbols (conch, discus) in corners."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["crackling fire","night wind","distant owl","soft bell at intervals"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: prāṇāyāmāstu = prāṇāyāmāḥ + tu; syātprāṇāyāmaśatam = syāt + prāṇāyāma-śatam.
FAQs
It prescribes a disciplined regimen of prāṇāyāma: generally sixteen rounds, and specifically (during the Divāskanda observance) one hundred rounds over a three-night period.
Enumerated prāṇāyāmas function as a measurable form of tapas (austerity) and mental purification, supporting steadiness of mind and ritual focus during a vrata or sacred observance.
The verse emphasizes disciplined, time-bound practice—spiritual progress is framed as consistent effort guided by learned tradition rather than impulse.