Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 32
योगप्रकारनिर्णयः
Classification and Definition of Yoga
नाडीविशुद्धिपूर्वं तु प्राणायामं समाचरेत् । अगर्भश्च सगर्भश्च प्राणायामो द्विधा स्मृतः
nāḍīviśuddhipūrvaṃ tu prāṇāyāmaṃ samācaret | agarbhaśca sagarbhaśca prāṇāyāmo dvidhā smṛtaḥ
Après avoir d’abord purifié les nāḍī (canaux subtils), on doit ensuite pratiquer le prāṇāyāma. Le prāṇāyāma est traditionnellement retenu comme étant de deux sortes : a-garbha, « sans semence » (sans mantra), et sa-garbha, « avec semence » (avec mantra).
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Role: teaching
FAQs
It places yogic discipline within a Shaiva soteriology: purification of the inner channels prepares the practitioner for steady prāṇa, which supports mantra-japa and Shiva-oriented meditation leading toward liberation (moksha).
Sagarbha prāṇāyāma implies breath practice joined with a mantra-seed—classically the Shiva-mantra—so the body-breath becomes an aid to Saguna Shiva worship (japa, dhyāna, and inner linga-bhāvanā), stabilizing devotion and concentration.
Begin with nāḍī-śuddhi (channel-cleansing) and then practice prāṇāyāma in either a silent form (agarbha) or mantra-linked form (sagarbha), ideally aligned with Shiva-japa such as the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya).