Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

षट्त्रिंशदंगुलो हंसः प्रयाणं कुरुते बहिः । सव्यापसव्यमार्गेण प्रयाणात्प्राण उच्यते

Transliteration

ṣaṭtriṃśadaṃgulo haṃsaḥ prayāṇaṃ kurute bahiḥ | savyāpasavyamārgeṇa prayāṇātprāṇa ucyate

Translation

Haṃsa (hơi thở sinh mệnh) chuyển động ra ngoài đến độ đo ba mươi sáu aṅgula. Vì nó đi theo lộ trình bên trái và bên phải, nên được gọi là ‘prāṇa’—đấng tiến hành ra trước.

Word by Word

• षट्त्रिंशत्: thirty-six
• षट्त्रिंशत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् (संख्या) + त्रिंशत् (संख्या)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (numeral), अव्ययवत्/प्रातिपदिकवत् प्रयोगः; समासे 'षट्-त्रिंशत्' = 36

• अङ्गुलः: a finger-breadth (measure)
• अङ्गुलः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• हंसः: Haṃsa (breath/bird; here vital principle)
• हंसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रयाणम्: movement; going forth
• प्रयाणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• कुरुते: does; makes
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• बहिः: outside
• बहिः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहिः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• सव्यापसव्यमार्गेण: by the left-and-right path
• सव्यापसव्यमार्गेण: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अपसव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); समासः: सव्य + अपसव्य (द्वन्द्व) ततः मार्गेण सह तत्पुरुषभावः

• प्रयाणात्: from (its) movement
• प्रयाणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stylized swan (haṃsa) made of breath-mist moving out from the nostrils in a measured arc; two luminous channels (left/right) flanking the central axis.

Characters & Entities

• Haṃsa
• Prāṇa
• Iḍā (implied)
• Piṅgalā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Breath is sacred and patterned; understanding its pathways is a foundation for yogic mastery and inner purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred setting; the verse itself focuses on yogic physiology taught within Kāśī’s dharma framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is prescribed; it defines prāṇa’s movement and its left-right channels as a basis for practice.