Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

समानो धारयत्यन्नं विवेचयति चाप्यथ । रसयंश्चैव चरति सर्वश्रोणिष्ववारितः

Transliteration

samāno dhārayatyannaṃ vivecayati cāpyatha | rasayaṃścaiva carati sarvaśroṇiṣvavāritaḥ

Translation

سمان وایو غذا کو اندر تھامے رکھتا ہے، پھر اسے جدا کر کے اس کا جوہر تقسیم کرتا ہے؛ بدن کی تمام نالیوں میں بے رکاوٹ چل کر رَس (غذائی لطافت) کو گردش دیتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• samānaḥ: samāna (vital air)
• samānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्राणवायु-विशेषः

• dhārayati: holds, sustains
• dhārayati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhṛ (धृ धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• annam: food
• annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vivecayati: separates, discriminates
• vivecayati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√vic (विच्/विच् धातु; causative sense)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction “and”)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि (particle: “also/even”)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/प्रसङ्ग (discourse particle: “then/now”)

• rasayan: making (it) sapid / digesting into rasa
• rasayan: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rasayan (प्रातिपदिक; वर्तमानकृदन्त-प्रायः)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्ययार्थः, “causing to taste/seasoning”); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समानाḥ इति विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• eva: indeed
• eva: Emphasis (Avadhāraṇa/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle “indeed/just”)

• carati: moves, circulates
• carati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (चर् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• sarva-śroṇiṣu: in all the pelvic regions
• sarva-śroṇiṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + śroṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थः: “in all the hips/pelvic regions”

• avāritaḥ: unobstructed
• avāritaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-√vṛ (वृ धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle) नकारार्थ-उपसर्ग (a-); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “unobstructed”

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogic diagram centered at the navel region: samāna as a golden circular current ‘holding’ food, then branching into fine channels carrying luminous rasa throughout the body; waste streams separated downward.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner harmony (samāna) transforms intake into strength; dharma includes balanced living where nourishment becomes serviceable energy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is praised in this verse; it is a yogic explanation of digestion and distribution.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is mentioned; the implication is moderation in food and disciplined routine.