Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71
सन्नियम्येंद्रियग्रामं नातिनीचोच्छ्रितासनः । मध्यमं चोत्तमं चाथ प्राणायाममुपक्रमेत्
sanniyamyeṃdriyagrāmaṃ nātinīcocchritāsanaḥ | madhyamaṃ cottamaṃ cātha prāṇāyāmamupakramet
Nachdem er die Gesamtheit der Sinne gut gezügelt hat und weder zu niedrig noch zu hoch sitzt, soll er dann die Übung des Prāṇāyāma beginnen — zuerst die mittlere, dann die höhere Methode.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A yogin seated in a balanced posture on a simple mat near a Kāśī ghat, senses withdrawn, beginning measured breath-control; distant silhouettes of temple spires and the Gaṅgā.
FAQs
True prāṇāyāma begins with self-restraint and balanced posture, then proceeds step-by-step toward higher discipline.
The instruction belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework, implicitly grounded in Kāśī (Varanasi) as the sanctified setting for liberation-oriented practice.
A yogic prescription: restrain the senses, sit properly (neither too low nor too high), and begin prāṇāyāma in graded stages (moderate to superior).