पुर्यष्टककलत्रेण तन्मात्रस्वजनेन च । अहङ्कारगृहस्थेन सर्वतः परिपालितम्
Guarded on all sides by the eightfold city as wife, the subtle elements as kin, and the householder ego as master.
अन्तस्सुषिरसत्कर्णशष्कुलीचन्द्रशालिकम् । शिरोरुहाच्छादनवद् विपुलाक्षगवाक्षकम्
Within are hollow spaces, ears like winnowing baskets, a moon-shaped palate, covered with hair above, and wide eyes as windows.
आस्यप्रधानसद्द्वारं भुजपार्श्वोपमन्दिरं । दन्तालिकेतकस्रग्भिर् भूषितद्वारकोटरं
The mouth is the main entrance, with the arms as side halls; its doorways are adorned with garlands of teeth and lips.
अनारतरटद्रूपरसनाद्वारपालकम् । अङ्गुलीलोकवलितपादालिन्दकृतस्थिति
The tongue, ever moving and tasting, serves as the doorkeeper; the toes, encircling the threshold, stand as sentinels.
रक्तमांसरसादिग्धस्नायुसन्ततिवेष्टितम् । स्थूलास्थिकाष्ठसद्बन्धं सुकुड्यं सुप्रमार्जितम्
It is wrapped in layers of red flesh and blood, bound by sinews, with a sturdy frame of thick bones, well-plastered and thoroughly cleansed.
ईदृशस्यास्य देहस्य गेहस्य मुनिनायक । सुषिरे कोमले मध्ये पार्शुकाभित्तिमालिते
O chief of sages, within the hollow, soft center of this body-house, bordered by the ribs, lies something further.
पद्मयुग्ममयं यन्त्रम् अस्थिमांसमयं मृदु । ऊर्ध्वाधोनालम् अन्योऽन्यमिलत्कोशं लसद्दलम्
There is a mechanism made of a pair of lotus-like, soft organs of bone and flesh, with upper and lower stems, their sheaths closing upon each other, and petals gently moving.
सततस्पन्दरूपेण सकलाकाशचारिणा । तस्य यन्त्रस्य पत्त्राणि मृदून्य् आत्तानि वायुना
With constant pulsation, moving throughout all space, the soft leaves of this mechanism are set in motion by the wind.
लसत्सु तेषु पत्त्रेषु स मरुत् परिवर्धते । वाताहतलतापत्त्रजाले बहिर् इवाभितः
As those leaves flutter, the wind within grows stronger, like air striking a cluster of trembling leaves outside.
वृद्धिं गतो ऽसौ पवनः कृत्वात्मानम् अनेकधा । ऊर्ध्वाधो दिक्षु चान्यासु देहे ऽस्मिन् प्रसरत्य् अथ
Having increased, that wind divides itself in many ways, and then spreads throughout this body, upward, downward, and in all directions.
प्राणापानसमानाद्यैस् ततस् स हृदयानिलः । सङ्केतैः प्रोच्यते तज्ज्ञैर् विचित्राचारचेष्टितः
Then, that vital air in the heart, known by the wise through its various movements and signs, is called by names such as prāṇa, apāna, samāna, and others.
हृत्पद्मयन्त्रकुहरात् समस्ताः प्राणशक्तयः । ऊर्ध्वाधः प्रसृता देहे चन्द्रबिम्बाद् इवांशवः
From the mechanism of the heart-lotus, all the powers of prāṇa spread throughout the body above and below, like rays from the orb of the moon.
यान्त्य् आयान्ति विवल्गन्ति हरन्ति विहरन्ति च । उत्पतन्ति पतन्त्य् आशु ता एताः प्राणशक्तयः
These powers of prāṇa go, come, leap, carry, move about, swiftly rise and fall—such are their actions.
स एष हृत्पद्मगतः प्राण इत्य् उच्यते बुधैः । अस्य काचिन् मुने शक्तिः प्रस्पन्दयति लोचने
This prāṇa, abiding in the heart-lotus, is called 'prāṇa' by the wise; O sage, one of its powers causes the eyes to blink.
काचित् स्पर्शम् उपादत्ते काचिद् वहति नासया । काचिद् अन्नं जरयति काचिद् वक्ति वचांसि च
One power receives touch, another carries scent to the nose, another digests food, and another speaks words.
बहुनात्र किम् उक्तेन सर्वम् एव शरीरके । करोति भगवान् वायुर् यन्त्रेहाम् इव यान्त्रिकः
Why say more? The divine air does everything in the body, just as a mechanic operates a machine by means of its mechanism.
तत्रोर्ध्वाधो द्विसङ्केतौ प्रसृताव् अनिलौ मुने । प्राणापानाव् इति ख्यातौ प्रकटौ तौ वरानिलौ
There, O sage, two vital airs, prāṇa and apāna, are clearly known as the two principal airs moving upward and downward.
तयोर् अनुसरन् नित्यं मुने गतिम् अहं स्थितः । शीतोष्णवपुषोर् नित्यं नित्यम् अम्बरपान्थयोः
Following their course always, O sage, I remain established in the movement of the two—ever in the forms of cold and heat, ever as travelers in the sky.
कलेवरमहायन्त्रे वाहयोश् श्रमहीनयोः । हृदाकाशार्कशशिनोर् अग्नीषोमस्वरूपयोः
In the great machine of the body, the two coursers—tireless—are like the sun and moon in the sky of the heart, embodying the forms of fire and soma.
शरीरपुरपालस्य मनसो रथचक्रयोः । अहङ्कारेश्वरस्यास्य प्रशस्तेष्टतुरङ्गयोः
For the mind, the guardian of the city of the body, these are the wheels of its chariot; for the lord called ego, they are the excellent, well-trained horses.
तयोर् ममानुसरतः प्राणापानाभिधानयोः । गतिं शरीरमरुतोर् आशरीरम् अरुद्धयोः
These two, called prāṇa and apāna, which I follow as mine, are the movements of the bodily winds—one with form, one without, both unrestrained.
जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तेषु सदैव समरूपयोः । सुषुप्तसंस्थितस्येव ब्रह्मन् गच्छन्ति वासराः
In waking, dream, and deep sleep, they are always of the same nature; as if established in deep sleep, the days pass by for Brahman.
सहस्रधा निकृत्ताङ्गाद् बिसतन्तुलवाद् अपि । दुर्लक्ष्या विद्यमाना च गतिस् सूक्ष्मतरा तयोः
Even if the body is cut into a thousand pieces, like fibers of a lotus stalk, their movement is subtler still—hard to perceive, yet present.
अविरतगतयोर् गतिं विदित्वा हृदि मरुतोर् अनुसृत्य चोदितां ताम् । न पुनर् इह हि जायते महात्मन् मुदितमनाः पुरुषः प्रणष्टपाशः
Knowing the movement of these ever-moving winds in the heart, and following that which is impelled by them, the great-souled person—his bonds destroyed, mind joyful—is not born here again.
जानन्न् अपि मुने सर्वं किं मां पृच्छसि लीलया । यथापृष्टम् अहं वच्मि तत्रापि शृणु मे वचः
Though you know everything, O sage, why do you question me in play? Still, as you have asked, I will speak—listen to my words on this.
प्राणो ऽयम् अनिशं ब्रह्मन् स्पन्दशक्तिस् सदागतिः । सबाह्याभ्यन्तरे देहे प्राणो ऽयम् उपरि स्थितः
This prāṇa, O Brahman, is ever the power of vibration, always moving; within and without the body, this prāṇa is established above.
अपानो ऽप्य् अनिशं ब्रह्मन् स्पन्दशक्तिस् सदागतिः । सबाह्याभ्यन्तरे देहे त्व् अपानो ऽयम् अवाक् स्थितः
O Brahman, apāna too is ever the power of movement, always active; this apāna, situated downward, operates both outside and within the body.
जाग्रतस् स्वपतश् चैव प्राणायामो ऽयम् उत्तमः । प्रवर्तते यस् तज्ज्ञस्य तं तावच् छ्रेयसे शृणु
This supreme regulation of breath occurs in both waking and sleeping; listen now to that which, when practiced by the wise, leads to the highest good.
बाह्योन्मुखत्वं प्राणानां यद् धृदम्भोजकोटरात् । स्वैरम् एवात्तयत्नानां तं धीरा रेचकं विदुः
The outward movement of the breaths, when they freely and effortlessly leave the cavity of the lotus-heart, is known by the wise as recaka, the exhalation.
द्वादशाङ्गुलपर्यन्तं बाह्यम् आक्रमतां हृदः । प्राणानाम् अङ्गसंस्पर्शो यस् स पूरक उच्यते
When the breaths, departing from the heart, extend outward up to a span of twelve finger-widths and touch the limbs, that is called pūraka, the inhalation.