Shloka 52

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

Devanagari script

गृहीतो दम्यमानस्तु यथास्वस्थस्तु जायते तथा समीरणो ऽस्वस्थो दुराधर्षश् च योगिनाम्

Transliteration

gṛhīto damyamānastu yathāsvasthastu jāyate tathā samīraṇo 'svastho durādharṣaś ca yoginām

Translation

Wird es ergriffen und gezügelt, wird es ruhig und fest gegründet; ebenso bleibt der Lebenswind (prāṇa), wenn er undiszipliniert ist, unbeständig und für Yogins überaus schwer zu bezwingen.

Word by Word

• गृहीतः: seized/held in restraint

• दम्यमानः: being tamed/controlled

• तु: indeed

• यथा: just as

• स्वस्थः: steady, well-established, at ease

• जायते: becomes/arises

• तथा: so, in the same way

• समीरणः: the wind, vital breath (prāṇa-vāyu)

• अस्वस्थः: unsteady, not at ease

• दुराधर्षः: hard to subdue/overpower

• च: and

• योगिनाम्: of yogins

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating yogic discipline within the Linga Purana’s Shaiva teaching stream)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that steadiness in worship (dhyāna and mantra on the Liṅga) depends on mastering prāṇa; an uncontrolled breath makes the mind restless and blocks sustained Śiva-bhakti and upāsanā.

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

By implication, Śiva as Pati is approached through inner discipline: when the pashu (individual soul) restrains the roaming prāṇa (a key pasha-like disturbance), consciousness becomes fit to rest in Śiva-tattva—steady, luminous, and undistracted.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Prāṇa-nigraha (restraint of the vital wind)—the core of prāṇāyāma and yogic control—presented as essential for overcoming the restless samīraṇa and stabilizing meditation in Shaiva sādhanā.