Shloka 111

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

Devanagari script

द्वात्रिंशद् रेचयेद्धीमान् हृदि नाभौ समाहितः रेचकं पूरकं त्यक्त्वा कुम्भकं च द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

dvātriṃśad recayeddhīmān hṛdi nābhau samāhitaḥ recakaṃ pūrakaṃ tyaktvā kumbhakaṃ ca dvijottamāḥ

Translation

Hỡi bậc tối thắng trong hàng dvija, người trí—an trú chánh niệm, gom tâm tại tim và rốn—hãy thực hành rechaka (thở ra) ba mươi hai lần; rồi buông cả rechaka lẫn pūraka (hít vào), và an trụ trong kumbhaka (nhiếp tức).

Word by Word

• द्वात्रिंशद्: thirty-two

• रेचयेत्: should exhale/should perform rechaka

• धीमान्: the wise one

• हृदि: in the heart

• नाभौ: in the navel

• समाहितः: composed, concentrated

• रेचकं: exhalation (rechaka)

• पूरकं: inhalation (pūraka)

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned/setting aside

• कुम्भकं: breath-retention

• च: and

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (brahmins).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Pashupata-Yoga discipline as taught in the Linga Purana tradition)

FAQs

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

It links outer devotion to inner discipline: pranayama steadies the pashu (individual soul) and purifies the antaḥkaraṇa so the mind can rest in Shiva (Pati) during Linga-upasana.

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

By directing attention to the heart and navel and then into kumbhaka, the verse points to Shiva-tattva as the still, witnessing consciousness beyond the movements of prana—realized when pasha-like fluctuations subside.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A pranayama sequence emphasizing repeated rechaka (here, thirty-two exhalations) followed by kumbhaka—central to Pashupata-style yogic restraint used to cut pasha (bondage) and stabilize meditation.