Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 36
Īśvara-Gītā (continued): Twofold Yoga, Aṣṭāṅga Discipline, Pāśupata Meditation, and the Unity of Nārāyaṇa–Maheśvara
रेचकः पूरकश्चैव प्राणायामो ऽथ कुम्भकः / प्रोच्यते सर्वशास्त्रेषु योगिभिर्यतमानसैः
recakaḥ pūrakaścaiva prāṇāyāmo 'tha kumbhakaḥ / procyate sarvaśāstreṣu yogibhiryatamānasaiḥ
रेचक (श्वास-त्याग), पूरक (श्वास-ग्रहण) और फिर कुम्भक (श्वास-रोध)—यही प्राणायाम है, ऐसा सभी शास्त्रों में कहा गया है, जिसे संयतचित्त योगियों ने सिखाया है।
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing within the Ishvara Gita discourse
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly: by defining prāṇāyāma as a disciplined method taught by mastered yogins, the verse points to mind-restraint as a prerequisite for inward realization—where the Self is known when the fluctuations supported by breath and mind are steadied.
It highlights prāṇāyāma as a threefold practice—recaka (exhalation), pūraka (inhalation), and kumbhaka (retention)—presented as the standard yogic definition across śāstras and integral to the Kurma Purana’s Pashupata-oriented yogic discipline.
Though not naming them explicitly, the teaching comes from Lord Kurma while using yoga-shastra categories central to Shaiva (including Pashupata) traditions—reflecting the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where Vishnu instructs practices honored across Shaiva-Vaishnava lineages.