हिन्दी
Lord Dattatreya said - "O Sänkyti! Now I am going to tell you about Pränäyäma. Listen to it with perfect obeisance. Präņāyāma is a process of controlling the breathing by systematic adoption of Puraka, Kumbhaka and Recaka viz., Inhale, retain and exhale.
The three letters in Pranava i.e, A, U, and M are equated with Puraka, Recaka and Kumbhaka. As the combination of these three letters is called Om, the Präņāyāma too is equated with Pranava.
One should gradually inhale the wind through the Ida nerve viz. the left nostril and restore it in the belly. In between the process, one should use the sixteen moras and concentrate on the first letter of Om.
As a next step, the wind so inhaled should be withheld in the belly. This time too a Japa on Om should be made upto the counting of six moras.
The wind should be withheld in a state of such concentration till it is possible. The wind so withheld is then exhaled gradually through the Pingala nerve in the right nostril and the last letter of Om i.e. M should be used for Japa upto the time required for reciting thirty-two moras.
Thus, a single cycle of Pranayama gets completed. A regular exercise should be made by adopting this method.
Having a mastery obtained on the process aforesaid; the yogi should inhale the wind through Pingala nerve i.e., right nostril and the mind should be concentrated on the first letter of Om i.e., 'A' upto the frequency of sixteen moras.
The wind so inhaled and filled in the belly should be withheld by imposing a control and with concentration on second letter of Om, i.e., 'U' upto the frequency of sixty-four moras.
Then as a final effort, the wind so withheld should be exhaled gradually and with concentration on the third letter of Om i.e., 'M' upto the thirty-two frequencies.
O great hermit! The exercise of Pranayama should be made as a routine affair. The man so practising, attains to the knowledge within the short span of six months.
The person realizes the Brahma as a result of exercising Pranayama regularly upto the period of a year. Hence, Pranayama should be made regularly. The person performing his liabilities by engrossing himself in the great deeds, definitely attains the sacred knowledge through Praplyama and avails emancipation or liberty from the worldly ties.
The process of pulling the wind and storing it in the belly is called Püraka (inhale).
The process of withholding the air in the belly by which it is formed like a pitcher is called kumbhaka (retention) and the process of exhaling the wind out from the belly is called Recaka (exhale).
It has been considered a Pranayama is mean category if the body is perspired after exercise. In case, the body shivers, it is called the Pranayama of medium category and if the body is felt lifting upward, it is called the best category of Pranayama.
A man therefore should involve in regular practise on Pranayama with aforesaid method unless its best category is accomplished. On completion of the best category Pranayama, the person enjoys the pleasure.
O great resolute! The Pranayama purifies the mind and the mind so purified starts realizing all sacrosanct element of soul.
The breathing of the great men practising Pranayama on regular basis, joins with the mind and thus both of them are concentrated on the supreme soul. On arriving at that state, his body gradually starts uplifting.
He attains to emancipation as a result of acquiring knowledge through Pranayama so exercised. Having mastery obtained on the process of inhale and exhale one should pay emphasis particularly on the process of withholding the inhaled air (kumbhaka).
The yogi so exercising, Pranayama daily, undoubtedly acquires the best knowledge and exonerates from all kinds of ills. That person becomes as dynamic as the mind and puts the mind under subjugation. The ailments pertaining to the hairs including their turning in grey and other defects are also effaced.
The person with perfect loyalty in Pranayama can obtain everything whatever he desires. Hence, the man should exercise Pränäyäma with full concentration.
O great hermit! I am now going to tell you the peculiar application of Pranayama. In the morning and evening or in the dawn or in the noon,
the exterior wind should be inhaled and established or stored in the belly, in the foreportion of nose, in the middle of navel and on the thumb of foot.
The man known to such application is liberated from all kinds of ailments and enjoys longevity not less than hundred years. O the great hermit! As a result of retaining the breathing air on the foreportion of nose, an extreme control on wind is obtained.
All kinds of ailments are removed when this wind is held in the middle portion of the navel and the body enjoys refreshing when the wind is held on the thumb of the foot.
The person exercising Yoga and competent to pull the air through the tongue; always remains free from ailments and seldom suffers from tiredness and the fever.
The process of entertaining the wind through tongue is that so pulled air through tongue should be withheld at the route of tongue and it should be then duly sipped. The person attains to all pleasures by doing this.
O metaphysician Sänkīti! The person who establishes the wind in the middle of the brows by pulling it through the Ida nerve and thus entertains the purified nectar, becomes free from all kinds of ailments.
O great hermit! Sankyti! The wind retained in the region of the navel after inhaling it through Ida and Pingalā nerves, also makes the man concerned free from all kinds of ailments.
If the wind is exhaled through the tongue with a spirit as if the nectar is being sipped in morning, at noon and in the beginning regularly upto the period of one month and process of its retention in navel zone is maintained;
the defects or ills arising due to the distortions of Vata and Pitta are undoubtedly eliminated. The ailments pertaining to the eyes are destroyed if the wind is inhaled simultaneously and retained in both eyes.
Similarly, the head ailments are eliminated if the wind is retained on the head. O Sańkrti! I have told you all these solemnly.
One should concentrate the mind, establish the posture of Svastika, do the Japa of Pranava, uplift Apana wind gradually and the ears etc. sensory organs should be duly pressed by both hands.
The ears should be closed by both thumbs, the eyes by both index fingers and both nostrils by using two fingers and the wind should be retained within the head until and unless the nectar in garb of pleasure is appeared.
O great hermit! the breathing wind enters into Brahmarandhra by doing this process.
O innocent Sankyti! A sound starts coming out like the conch shell when the breathing wind enters into the Brahmarandhra.
In between the exercise, that sound turns into thundering of clouds. A sound as emerges when a fountain flows down from a mountain arises when the breathing is duly established in the middle of the head.
O great hermit! The yogi subsequently attains soul-orientation and feels extreme pleasure.
Subsequently, the perfect knowledge of the element of soul is attained and the worldly ties are entirely eliminated by virtue of that yoga (another way to control the breathing wind is herein described).
The nerve existed in the middle of the anus and the genital is called Sivani. It joins the half-parts of the body. The scholar should press that Sivani by using his left and right ankle and presume the Jyotirlinga namely Tryambaka at the joint below the knees.
The yogi should concomitantly concentrate on mother Vägiśvari and Ganesa also Subsequently, Japa of Om with iota is to be made and the breathing should be established,
in the middle of Mooladhara by pulling it towards forepart of genital through its hole. Retention of breathing therein results in
establishment of the fire duly blazed at Kundalini. The breathing by carrying with it this fire starts uplifting through the route of spinal nerve (Susumna).
O great hermit! A good control on breathing is made as a result of such exercises. The symptoms or indications revealing this control is felt initially through perspiration in the body, shivering and finally uplifting of the body.
All ailments pertaining to body and mind are eliminated as a result of such exercises.
O Sankyti! The ailments like Bhagandara (fistula) and others are eliminated by virtue of exercising this Pranayama. All kinds of evils either greater or smaller are also eliminated.
The heart and mind both become sacrosanct as a mirror when the malafides and likewise other ills are eliminated. On arriving at this stage, detachment towards all worldly pleasures even which are available in the abode of Brahma etc. is emerged.
The person so detached from the pleasure of this worldly ocean attains to the knowledge that leads him to the emancipation. All kinds of worldly ties are eliminated as a result of attaining to the element of supreme soul through that knowledge.
The person starts to engross in the pleasure of knowledge by giving up all activities if he had once enjoyed that pleasure.
The people of high understanding, consider this world as the sole source of knowledge but the others not sacred in their approach observe this world in the form of enjoyments.
The ignorance is eliminated when the knowledge of soul is duly acquired. The attachment as also affections etc, too are eliminated when the ignorance is fully decayed.
Owing to the lack of good and bad feelings and the attachment towards worldly pleasures, the scholar is not compelled to revolve round the cycle of birth and death.
