Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

तथेंद्रियवृतो दोषः प्राणायामेन दह्यते । गोशतं कापिलं दत्त्वा यत्फलं तत्फलं भवेत्

Transliteration

tatheṃdriyavṛto doṣaḥ prāṇāyāmena dahyate | gośataṃ kāpilaṃ dattvā yatphalaṃ tatphalaṃ bhavet

Translation

ฉันนั้น โทษที่ถูกห่อหุ้มด้วยอินทรีย์ทั้งหลาย ย่อมถูกเผาผลาญด้วยปราณายามะ ผลบุญใดเกิดจากการถวายทานโคสีคาปิละหนึ่งร้อยตัว ผลบุญนั้นแลย่อมบังเกิดจากสิ่งนี้ด้วย

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that way
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb)

• इन्द्रिय-वृतः: covered/obstructed by the senses
• इन्द्रिय-वृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत (कृदन्त; √वृ (धातु) क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त विशेषण (past passive participle)

• दोषः: fault, impurity
• दोषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्राणायामेन: by prāṇāyāma (breath-control)
• प्राणायामेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणायाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• दह्यते: is burned up
• दह्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• गो-शतम्: a hundred cows
• गो-शतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (numeral compound)

• कापिलम्: tawny/brown (Kapila-colored)
• कापिलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कापिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying गोशतम्)

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• यत्-फलम्: whatever fruit/result
• यत्-फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-तत्पुरुष (relative compound)

• तत्-फलम्: that fruit/result
• तत्-फलम्: Pratijna/Upamana (Correlative/प्रतिज्ञा-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-तत्पुरुष

• भवेत्: would be, becomes
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin seated in padmāsana, eyes half-closed, controlling the breath; a subtle ‘fire’ of prāṇa consuming dark smoke-like impurities around the senses; in the background, a symbolic row of tawny cows indicating dāna-merit equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Indriyas
• Kapilā-go (tawny cows)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prāṇāyāma is praised as a powerful purifier of sense-bound faults and is equated in merit to major acts of charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse glorifies the practice itself by comparing its fruit to an esteemed dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go-dāna (gift of a hundred kapilā cows) is cited as a benchmark of merit; prāṇāyāma is said to yield comparable fruit.