Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10
यदा चाभ्यन्तरो वायुर्बाह्ये याति क्रमान्नृप । तदा स रेचको ज्ञेयः स्तम्भनात्कुम्भको भवेत्
yadā cābhyantaro vāyurbāhye yāti kramānnṛpa | tadā sa recako jñeyaḥ stambhanātkumbhako bhavet
Ó Rei, quando o vento vital interior se move gradualmente para fora, isso deve ser entendido como recaka (expiração). Quando é contido e mantido imóvel, torna-se kumbhaka (retenção do alento).
Īśvara (Śiva), instructing the King
Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: King (nṛpa)
Scene: The disciple practices slow exhalation; the breath is depicted as a faint stream leaving the nostrils; then a still moment—kumbhaka—shown by a luminous aura held at the heart/navel; guru gestures ‘stop/hold’.
FAQs
Disciplined regulation of prāṇa—exhaling and then restraining—forms a foundation for yogic steadiness and inner realization.
The teaching occurs within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, tying yogic practice to the sanctity of Vastrāpatha in the Prabhāsa sacred region.
A yogic prescription: recognizing recaka (exhalation) and practicing kumbhaka (retention) through restraint of the breath.
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