Devanagari
प्राणस्य शोधयेन्मार्गं पूरकुम्भकरेचकै: ।
प्रतिकूलेन वा चित्तं यथा स्थिरमचञ्चलम् ॥ ९ ॥
Verse text
prāṇasya śodhayen mārgaṁ
pūra-kumbhaka-recakaiḥ
pratikūlena vā cittaṁ
yathā sthiram acaṣcalam
Synonyms
prāṇasya
—
of vital air
;
śodhayet
—
one should clear
;
mārgam
—
the passage
;
pūra
—
kumbhaka — recakaiḥ — by inhaling, retaining and exhaling
;
pratikūlena
—
by reversing
;
vā
—
or
;
cittam
—
the mind
;
yathā
—
so that
;
sthiram
—
steady
;
acaṣcalam
—
free from disturbances .
Translation
The yogī should clear the passage of vital air by breathing in the following manner: first he should inhale very deeply, then hold the breath in, and finally exhale. Or, reversing the process, the yogi can first exhale, then hold the breath outside, and finally inhale. This is done so that the mind may become steady and free from external disturbances.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
One should purify the passage for prāṇa by inhaling, holding and exhaling the breath or reversing the process, so that the unsteady mind becomes steady.
Inhaling through the left nostril is called pūraka. Holding the breath is called kumbhaka. Exhaling through the right nostril is called recaka. Reversing the process means to exhale, hold the breath and then inhale. By this means the unsteady mind becomes steady.
Purport
These breathing exercises are performed to control the mind and fix it on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ:
the devotee Ambarīṣa Mahārāja fixed his mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. The process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and to hear the sound attentively so that the mind is fixed upon the transcendental vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s name, which is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa the personality. The real purpose of controlling the mind by the prescribed method of clearing the passage of the life air is achieved immediately if one fixes his mind directly on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. The
haṭha-yoga
system, or breathing system, is especially recommended for those who are very absorbed in the concept of bodily existence, but one who can perform the simple process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa can fix the mind more easily.
Three different activities are recommended for clearing the passage of breath:
pūraka, kumbhaka
and
recaka.
Inhaling the breath is called
pūraka,
sustaining it within is called
kumbhaka,
and finally exhaling it is called
recaka.
These recommended processes can also be performed in the reverse order. After exhaling, one can keep the air outside for some time and then inhale. The nerves through which inhalation and exhalation are conducted are technically called
iḍā
and
piṅgalā.
The ultimate purpose of clearing the
iḍā
and
piṅgalā
passages is to divert the mind from material enjoyment. As stated in
Bhagavad-gītā,
one’s mind is his enemy, and one’s mind is also his friend; its position varies according to the different dealings of the living entity. If we divert our mind to thoughts of material enjoyment, then our mind becomes an enemy, and if we concentrate our mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then our mind is a friend. By the
yoga
system of
pūraka, kumbhaka
and
recaka
or by directly fixing the mind on the sound vibration of Kṛṣṇa or on the form of Kṛṣṇa, the same purpose is achieved. In
Bhagavad-gītā
it is said that one must practice the breathing exercise (
abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena
). By virtue of these processes of control, the mind cannot wander to external thoughts (
cetasā nānya-gāminā
). Thus one can fix his mind constantly on the Supreme Personality of Godhead and can attain (
yāti
) Him.
Practicing the
yoga
system of exercise and breath control is very difficult for a person in this age, and therefore Lord Caitanya recommended,
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ:
one should always chant the holy name of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is the most suitable name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The name Kṛṣṇa and the Supreme Person Kṛṣṇa are nondifferent. Therefore, if one concentrates his mind on hearing and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, the same result is achieved.