Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

तदन्नं पिण्डकवलैर्ग्रासैर्भुक्तं च देहिभिः । पूर्वं स्थूलाशये वायुः प्राणः प्रकुरुते द्विधा

Transliteration

tadannaṃ piṇḍakavalairgrāsairbhuktaṃ ca dehibhiḥ | pūrvaṃ sthūlāśaye vāyuḥ prāṇaḥ prakurute dvidhā

Translation

وہ غذا جسم والے جیووں کے ذریعے لقموں اور نوالوں کی صورت میں کھائی جاتی ہے۔ پہلے وہ موٹے معدے (جٹھَر) میں پہنچتی ہے؛ وہاں پران وायु اس پر دو طرح سے عمل کرتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular)

• पिण्ड-कवलैः: with lumps and morsels
• पिण्ड-कवलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + कवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्वः (lumps and morsels)

• ग्रासैः: with mouthfuls
• ग्रासैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (masculine, instrumental plural)

• भुक्तम्: eaten
• भुक्तम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• देहिभिः: by embodied beings
• देहिभिः: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (masculine, instrumental plural)

• पूर्वम्: first
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb: first)

• स्थूल-आशये: in the stomach (gross receptacle)
• स्थूल-आशये: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थूल (प्रातिपदिक) + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (in the 'gross receptacle' i.e., stomach)

• वायुः: wind
• वायुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

• प्राणः: prāṇa (vital air)
• प्राणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular); वायोः विशेषण/अपपद (apposition to vāyu)

• प्रकुरुते: acts/does
• प्रकुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् (present indicative, 3rd person singular, middle)

• द्विधा: in two ways
• द्विधा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्विधा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (in two ways)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic depiction of food entering the stomach and prāṇa acting in two ways—separating and activating digestion—shown as subtle winds moving within the body.

Characters & Entities

• Prāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Life is sustained by prāṇa, not by mere matter; gratitude and discipline toward the life-force support dharmic living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is physiological teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it describes how eating is processed within the body.