Systems of Indian Philosophy

Author(s): Virchand R Gandhi
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 98

THE YOGA PHILOSOPHY
the roof of the palate. 417171A has its chief object the mixing of 917 the upper breath and 37977 the lower breath and rising them upwards by degrees and stages till they subside in the head. This practice awakens a peculiar force which is dorment about the navel and is called statt. It is this force which is the source of all occult powers. The general practice is to begin with 777 followed by 475 by the same nostril, and $250 followed by teen at the opposite nostril, whence the control is begun over again with grand onward. This is called one TT1YTH. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika says on this subject as follows :
“Having mastered some one posture and observing the rules of diet etc. the yogi may begin the study of regulating the breath. Disturbance of mind follows disturbance of breath and the mind remains calm when the breath is calm; hence in order to attain fixity of mind the breath should be controlled. So long as the asts—the vehicles of 90-are obstructed by abnormal humours, there is no possibility of the 91 running the middle course (UFT) and of accomplishing the उन्मणि मुद्रा. 29_Hence प्राणायाम should be practised in the first instance for the clearance of these humours. The T TA for this purpose is as follows: Having assumed the TF118A posture the yogi should inhale at the left nostril and, having retained the breath for the time he easily can, should let it off at the opposite nostril, and repeat the same process beginning with
29. Fum is spinal cord and it is a sign of balanced breathing
that the runs in the middle course represented by सुषुम्णा. उन्मनी is the word which in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika stands for the highest type of समाधि i.e.for निर्विकल्पकFAIT. But it is not easy to see why Gandhi here uses the word उन्मणि मुद्रा instead of thesimple उन्मनी.