Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

नाड्यः सर्वाः प्रवर्तंते नाभिपद्मात्तथात्र च । यासां श्रेष्ठा शिरो याता सुषुम्नेडाऽथ पिंगला

Transliteration

nāḍyaḥ sarvāḥ pravartaṃte nābhipadmāttathātra ca | yāsāṃ śreṣṭhā śiro yātā suṣumneḍā'tha piṃgalā

Translation

ఇక్కడ సమస్త నాడులు నాభి-పద్మం నుండి ఉద్భవించి ప్రవహిస్తాయి. వాటిలో శిరస్సుకు చేరే శ్రేష్ఠ నాడులు సుషుమ్నా, ఇడా, పింగళా.

Word by Word

• nāḍyaḥ: channels (nāḍīs)
• nāḍyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāḍī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (nāḍyaḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• pravartante: proceed/flow forth
• pravartante: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vṛt (वृत् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• nābhi-padmāt: from the navel-lotus
• nābhi-padmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nābhi (प्रातिपदिक) + padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (nābheḥ padmam), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (likewise)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• yāsām: of which
• yāsām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• śreṣṭhā: the best
• śreṣṭhā: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nāḍī इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• śiraḥ: the head
• śiraḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• yātā: has gone to/reaches
• yātā: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (या धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः ‘याता/प्राप्ता’

• suṣumnā: Suṣumnā (central channel)
• suṣumnā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suṣumnā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• iḍā: Iḍā (left channel)
• iḍā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: iḍā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• atha: and/then
• atha: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनन्तर/समुच्चयार्थ (then/and)

• piṅgalā: Piṅgalā (right channel)
• piṅgalā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṅgalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Characters & Entities

• Suṣumnā
• Iḍā
• Piṅgalā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It connects spiritual practice with inner physiology, implying that disciplined breath and mind can align the nāḍīs toward higher realization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No external tīrtha is named; the body itself is presented as an inner pilgrimage-map (antar-tīrtha).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly, though the mention of Suṣumnā–Iḍā–Piṅgalā implies yogic disciplines such as prāṇāyāma in broader tradition.