________________
28
TULSI-PRÀ
through his two Sutras :
Tatah kşīyate prakāśāvaranam-11.52
Dhāraņāsu ca yogyatā manasaḥ_|| 535 The natural tendencies of the wiod and sense organs are condemned as evil because success in Yoga depends upon the intro. version of the mind and the sense organs. A similar view is expressed by the author of Hathapradīpikā who hold that Prānāyāma alone would be sufficient to overcome the evil tendencies of the mind and the sense organs :
Prāņāyāmenalva sarve praśuşyanti mala iti
Scholars and Yogis heve held in high esteem the treatise on Hathayoga by Svātmārāma. His Hathapradipikā being one of the outstandige Hatha tcxis fully describes the cight wellknown varieties of Pränavāma in the 11 lesson entitled : Prānāyāma vidhāna Kathanāni
The description of the technique of Prānäyāma". The two types of Prānāyāma namely, (1) sagarbha (with mantras and (2) Nigarbha or Agarbha (without recitation of mantras) have been mentioned in the Puranas and Smrtis, but Svátmárāma does not prescribe the practice of Prānāyāma accompanied with recitation of a 'mantra'. The eight varieties of Pränäyāma or Kumbhaka? are: (1) Süryabhedana, (2) Ujjāyi, (3) Sitkūri, (4) Sitali, (5) Bhastrikā, có) Bhramari, Ő) Mürccha and (8) Plāvini.8 Svātmārama holds that by the practice of Pranayama alone all the impurities in the nādis' can be removed :
Prāņāyāmaireva sarve praśuşyanti malā it to
Prānāyāma means the breath control and the end product is mental calm and tranquillity of nervous system. The body and the mind become tolerant and the gains of Prānāyāma have been described thus : Pränayāmena yuktena sarva rogakşayo bhavet'. 10 Svātmāräma, after stating the technique of breathing and before explaining the eight11 varieties of (Kumbhakas) Prānāyāma mentions that one should perform Kumbhakas four times a day i.e, in the morning, at noon, in the evening and at midnight, gradually increasing the number (of Kumbhakas) upto eighty 12 each time. Thus the number of Prānāyāma comes to three hundred twenty. Further Svātmālāma holds that the Pránāyāma of a low degree of merit generates heat; that of an intermediate degree throbbing; and in all its intensity a condition is (will be) achieved i.e. the covetted blissful position in which it becomes easy for Prāna to rise to Brahmarandhra (the highest central point in the brain) by Prāņāyāma :
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org