Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 41
Devanagari script
प्राणायामस्त्वयं प्रोक्तः प्रत्याहारं ततः शृणु । विषयेषु प्रवृत्तस्य चेतसो विनिवर्तनम्
Transliteration
prāṇāyāmastvayaṃ proktaḥ pratyāhāraṃ tataḥ śṛṇu | viṣayeṣu pravṛttasya cetaso vinivartanam
Translation
ดังนี้ได้อธิบายปราณายามะแล้ว บัดนี้จงฟังปรัตยาหาระ คือการดึงจิตที่แล่นออกไปสู่วัตถุแห่งอินทรีย์ให้หวนกลับมา
Word by Word
प्राणायामःprāṇāyāma
प्राणायामः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootप्राणायाम (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
तुnow/indeed
तु:
Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु (अव्यय)
Formनिपात; विशेष/विरोधार्थक
अयम्this
अयम्:
Karta (Co-referent/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootइदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम
प्रोक्तःhas been stated
प्रोक्तः:
Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootप्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formक्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘has been stated’
प्रत्याहारम्pratyāhāra (withdrawal)
प्रत्याहारम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootप्रत्याहार (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
ततःthen, thereafter
ततः:
Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootततः (अव्यय)
Formतस्मात्/अनन्तरं इत्यर्थे अव्यय (thereafter/from that)
शृणुlisten
शृणु:
Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootश्रु (धातु)
Formलोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन
विषयेषुin sense-objects
विषयेषु:
Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootविषय (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन
प्रवृत्तस्यof (a mind) engaged/turned toward
प्रवृत्तस्य:
Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
TypeAdjective
Rootप्र + वृत् (धातु) → प्रवृत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formभूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुं/नपुंसक-सम्भव, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘चेतसः’ इति विशेषणम्
चेतसःof the mind
चेतसः:
Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootचेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन
विनिवर्तनम्withdrawal, turning back
विनिवर्तनम्:
Karma/Predicate-noun (Definition/कर्म-निर्देश)
TypeNoun
Rootवि + नि + वृत् (धातु) → विनिवर्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; लक्षण/परिभाषा-रूपेण
Speaker
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A yogin seated with senses symbolized as five horses being gently reined in; the mind depicted as a bird returning to the heart-lotus; arrows labeled ‘viṣaya’ turned back.
FAQs
After regulating breath, the yogin must withdraw the mind from sense-objects—this is pratyāhāra.
None is mentioned; the focus is on the inner limb of yoga.
A sequential practice is implied: prāṇāyāma first, then pratyāhāra (mental withdrawal).