Shloka 111

Adhyaya 8: Yogasthanas, Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama-Siddhi, and Shiva-Dhyana leading to Samadhi

Devanagari script

द्वात्रिंशद् रेचयेद्धीमान् हृदि नाभौ समाहितः रेचकं पूरकं त्यक्त्वा कुम्भकं च द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

dvātriṃśad recayeddhīmān hṛdi nābhau samāhitaḥ recakaṃ pūrakaṃ tyaktvā kumbhakaṃ ca dvijottamāḥ

Translation

O Bester der Zweifachgeborenen, der Weise—gesammelt, mit Bewusstsein im Herzen und im Nabelraum—soll zweiunddreißig Rechaka (Ausatmungen) vollziehen; dann, Rechaka und Pūraka (Einatmung) beiseitelassend, soll er im Kumbhaka (Atemverhaltung) verweilen.

Word by Word

• द्वात्रिंशद्: thirty-two

• रेचयेत्: should exhale/should perform rechaka

• धीमान्: the wise one

• हृदि: in the heart

• नाभौ: in the navel

• समाहितः: composed, concentrated

• रेचकं: exhalation (rechaka)

• पूरकं: inhalation (pūraka)

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned/setting aside

• कुम्भकं: breath-retention

• च: and

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (brahmins).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Pashupata-Yoga discipline as taught in the Linga Purana tradition)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It links outer devotion to inner discipline: pranayama steadies the pashu (individual soul) and purifies the antaḥkaraṇa so the mind can rest in Shiva (Pati) during Linga-upasana.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By directing attention to the heart and navel and then into kumbhaka, the verse points to Shiva-tattva as the still, witnessing consciousness beyond the movements of prana—realized when pasha-like fluctuations subside.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A pranayama sequence emphasizing repeated rechaka (here, thirty-two exhalations) followed by kumbhaka—central to Pashupata-style yogic restraint used to cut pasha (bondage) and stabilize meditation.