आसन Asana,

आसन /Asana

प्राणायाम / prANAyama,

प्रत्याहार / pratyAhAra.

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Patanjal Yoga-Sutra : sadhanapad --

46-47-48-49-50-51-52-53-54-55

पातञ्जल योग-सूत्र : साधनपाद  -- ४६-४७-४८-४९-५०-५१-५२-५३-५४-५५

--The last 2 posts were about यम / Yama and नियम / niyama -- with reference to :

शौचसन्तोषतपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि नियमाः।।३२।।

(sadhanapad 32)

This post is about the other 3 योगाङ्ग / Yoga-Practices. In comparison to the next 3, which are to be practiced at the level of the अन्तरङ्ग / antaranga / mind, These five 5 are called the बाह्य-अङ्ग / external / at the level of the body. 

The next योग-सूत्र / Aphorisms are as follows :

स्थिर सुखमासनम्।।४६।।

(स्थिरः / स्थिरं सुखं-आसनम्।।)

Sitting comfortably in relaxed repose for long hours is : आसनम् / Asana.

स्थिर - stable, established,

प्रयत्नशैथिल्यानन्तसमापत्तिभ्याम्।।४७।।

(प्रयत्नशैथिल्य-अनन्त-समापत्तिभ्याम्।।)

This happens if the body is healthy and the mind is calm, collected yet alert.

प्रयत्नशैथिल्यः the body -- In an easy and relaxed effortless way, and the mind :

अनन्त-समापत्तिः - contemplating the limit-less.

Attention together upon these two aspects, according to : सूत्र ४१ समाधिपाद : Samadhipad Aphorism 41

क्षीणवृत्तेरभिजातस्येव मणैर्गृहीतृग्रहणग्राह्येषु तत्स्थतदञ्जनता समापत्तिः।।४१।।

ततो द्वन्द्वानभिघातः।।४८।।

(ततः द्वन्द्व-अनभिघातः।।)

This results in staying unaffected by the pairs of the opposites, such as heat and cold, pleasure and pain and the like.

ततः thereby,  द्वन्द्व pair of opposite, अनभिघातः undisturbed, unaffected by - as in विभूतिपाद ४६ / vibhUtipad 46.

तस्मिन्सति श्वासप्रश्वासयोर्गतिविच्छेदः प्राणायामः।।४९।।

(तस्मिन् सति श्वास-प्रश्वासयोः गतिविच्छेदः प्राणायामः।।)

Once a repose is attained, attention is to be given to breath. There is a force behind the  breath that keeps control over breathing. This means breathing happens accordingly and in its own way, maintained by that force without any conscious effort. Exactly Who is  the authority that arranges this force?

This force is called प्राण / prANa.

The One Conscious Intelligence that keeps control over प्राण / prANa is the ईश्वर / Ishvara is described in the invocation of the : ईशावास्य उपनिषद् / Ishavasya upanishad :

ईशिता सर्वभूतानां सर्वभूतमयँश्च यत्।।

ईशावास्येन संबोध्यमीश्वरं प्रणमाम्यहम्।।

This is the direct proof of that Conscious and  Unique, Supreme Intelligence Principle, that Governs the whole existence; the व्यक्त जगत् / the manifest phenomenal, and the other that is अव्यक्त / hidden to us.

One can directly control the breath within a certain limit, but no-one knows exactly Who prompts the force that maintains and keeps the breath in proper order, as it is.

Therefore the breath is the only means that one could regulate and when this is properly done, there is harmony in the flow of breath. This is done by paying attention to breath, - the exhalation and the inhalation process.

There is a certain practice that is called :

The नाडी-शुद्धि / nADI shuddhi. nADI is the pulse, and accordingly the heart-beat. The frequency of this pulse (say per minute) in a normal person is fixed. आयुर्वेद / Ayurveda is the medical science that has this Principle as the very basis for diagnosis and treatment of the illnesses.

Once the attention is given to breath and the exhalation / inhalation is practiced, breath-control helps in stilling the mind.

बाह्याभ्यन्तरस्तम्भवृत्तिः - bAhyAbhyantarastambhavrittiH,

Keeping the breathing stopped, retaining of the breath for a time, either outside or inside the body, 

देशकालसंख्याभिः -

deshakAlasamkhyAbhiH, 

According to place (inside or outside of the body) and counting the time / duration in minutes.

परिदृष्टः - paridriShTaH,

In this order, 

दीर्घसूक्ष्मः - deerghasUkShmaH

Where the length (long / short) of the breath is also kept fixed in terms of time and  गति / pace - slow or fast, (-as in the earlier Yoga-Sutra 49).

बाह्याभ्यन्तरस्तम्भवृत्तिः देशकालसंख्याभिः परिदृष्टो दीर्घसूक्ष्मः।।५०।।

(बाह्य-आभ्यन्तर-स्तम्भवृत्तिः देशकालसंख्याभिः परिदृष्टः दीर्घ-सूक्ष्मः।।)

बाह्याभ्यन्तरविषयाक्षेपी चतुर्थः।।५१।।

(बाह्य-आभ्यन्तर विषय-आक्षेपी चतुर्थः।।

There is yet another kind, the 4th.

In the Shrimadbhagvadgita, Stanza 29, 30, Chapter 4, This has been elaborated in the following way :

अपाने जुह्वति प्राणं प्राणेऽपानं तथापरे।।

प्राणापानगती रुद्ध्वा प्राणायामपरायणाः।।२९।।

अपने नियताहाराः प्राणान्प्राणेषु जुह्वति।।

सर्वेऽप्येते यज्ञविदो यज्ञक्षपितकल्मषाः।।३०।।

(श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता -अध्याय ४)

Both the Stanza cited above, and the योग-सूत्र ४९ - Aphorism 49 point out to the same.

The Aphorism 51 read alongwith the 50-51 too describe how this practice is to be done.

As said earlier, one can't directly control or regulate प्राण / prANa, but one can try doing this, through the breat-control.

परिदृष्टः / paridruShTaH  implies one may also try observing the breath (that is how it is done in विपस्सना / vipassana practice).

Then the obstruction that hides the light (of wisdom) is removed as is said in this next योग-सूत्र / Aphorism :

ततः क्षीयते प्रकाशावरणम्।।५२।।

(ततः क्षीयते प्रकाश-आवरणम्।।)

§ विभूतिपाद / vibhUtipada,

योग-सूत्र ४४ Aphorism 44 :

बहिरकल्पितावृत्तिर्महाविदेहा ततः प्रकाशावरणक्षयः।।४४।।

--

धारणासु च योग्यता मनसः।।५३।।

(धारणासु च योग्यता मनसः।।)

This helps two aspects of meditation 1. निरोध-परिणाम  and 2. the एकाग्रता परिणाम, and also in fixing the mind on one object and holding onto the same - धारणा / dhAraNA.

In this way by practicing prANAyAma, mind attains the skill (योग्यता).

स्वविषयासम्प्रयोगे चित्तस्वरूपानुकार इवेन्द्रियाणां प्रत्याहारः।। ।।५४।।

(स्व-विषय-असम्प्रयोगे चित्तस्वरूप-अनुकारः इव इन्द्रियाणां प्रत्याहारः।।)

When the mind has become so expert, one can successfully withdraw it from the sense-objects and mind gets attuned with and like the sense itself without its object. This is the very purport of the योग- सूत्र ५४ / Aphorism 54. 

§योग-सूत्र १३-१४-१५ समाधिपाद / Samadhipad - Aphorisms 13-14-15 indicate this :

तत्र स्थितौ यत्नोऽऽभ्यासः।।१३।।

स तु दीर्घकालनैरन्तर्यसत्कारासेवितो दृढभूमिः।।१४।।

दृष्टानुश्रविकविषयवितृष्णस्य वैराग्यम्।।१५।।

--

ततः परमावश्यता इन्द्रियाणाम् ।।५५।।

(ततः परमा वश्यता इन्द्रियाणाम्।।)

Thereby results the perfect control over the senses.

--

Thus concludes the Chapter 2 :

साधनपाद / sadhanapad

Of पातञ्जल योग-सूत्र / Patanjal Yoga-Sutra.

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ॐ नमः महर्षये पतञ्जलये।।

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