Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

यावद्देहे स्थितः प्राणो जीवितं तावदुच्यते । निर्गते तत्र मरणं ततः प्राणं निरुंधयेत्

Transliteration

yāvaddehe sthitaḥ prāṇo jīvitaṃ tāvaducyate | nirgate tatra maraṇaṃ tataḥ prāṇaṃ niruṃdhayet

Translation

ตราบใดที่ปราณสถิตอยู่ในกาย นั่นเรียกว่า ‘ชีวิต’; เมื่อมันจากไป ย่อมเป็นความตาย ดังนั้นพึงฝึกวินัยและควบคุมปราณให้มั่นคง

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Temporal marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (as long as)

• देहे: in the body
• देहे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• स्थितः: situated/remaining
• स्थितः: Visheshana (Qualifier of prāṇaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (प्राणः) विशेषणम्

• प्राणः: the vital breath
• प्राणः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जीवितम्: life
• जीवितम्: Karta (Subject—of passive ucyate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Correlative marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (so long/that long)

• उच्यते: is said/called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive)

• निर्गते: when (it) has departed
• निर्गते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute sense)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + गम् (धातु) → निर्गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; (प्राणे) सति—‘when (it) has gone out’

• तत्र: then
• तत्र: Adverbial
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/प्रसङ्गवाचक-अव्यय (there/then)

• मरणम्: death
• मरणम्: Karta (Subject—of implied ‘bhavati’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ततः: therefore
• ततः: Causal/Sequential marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर/हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (therefore/then)

• प्राणम्: the breath
• प्राणम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• निरुंधयेत्: should restrain
• निरुंधयेत्: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + रुध् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; धातुरूपम्: निरुन्ध्/निरुंध् (निरोधन)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative yogin near a cremation ghat at dusk, reflecting on prāṇa and mortality; the breath is shown as a subtle luminous thread within the body.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Recognizing prāṇa as the basis of embodied life, the seeker trains it to gain mastery over instability and mortality-fear.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied sacred context in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where disciplines aimed at liberation are especially praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Restraint and regulation of prāṇa—i.e., prāṇāyāma as a disciplined practice.