Yoga-sutras (with Vyasa and Vachaspati Mishra)
by Rama Prasada | 1924 | 154,800 words | ISBN-10: 9381406863 | ISBN-13: 9789381406861
The Yoga-Sutra 2.49, English translation with Commentaries. The Yoga Sutras are an ancient collection of Sanskrit texts dating from 500 BCE dealing with Yoga and Meditation in four books. It deals with topics such as Samadhi (meditative absorption), Sadhana (Yoga practice), Vibhuti (powers or Siddhis), Kaivaly (isolation) and Moksha (liberation).
Sūtra 2.49
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 2.49:
तस्मिन् सति श्वासप्रश्वासयोर् गतिविच्छेदः प्राणायामः ॥ २.४९ ॥
tasmin sati śvāsapraśvāsayor gativicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmaḥ || 2.49 ||
tasmin—that (the posture), sati—being, śvāsa—of the inspiratory breath, praśvāsayoḥ—of the expiratory breath, gati—of the movements. vicchedaḥ—stoppage, prāṇāyāmaḥ—regulation of breath.
49. Regulation-of-breath (prāṇāyāma) is the stoppage of the inspiratory and expiratory movements (of breath) which follows, when that has-been-secured.—100.
The Sankhya-pravachana commentary of Vyasa
[English translation of the 7th century commentary by Vyāsa called the Sāṅkhya-pravacana, Vyāsabhāṣya or Yogabhāṣya]
[Sanskrit text for commentary available]
When posture has been achieved the cessation of the movements of both inspiration, the drinking in of external air, and expiration, the throwing out of the internal air, is the regulation of breath (prāṇāyāma).—100.
The Gloss of Vachaspati Mishra
[English translation of the 9th century Tattvavaiśāradī by Vācaspatimiśra]
Posture also has been described in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa:—‘Having thus practised the Bhadrāsana, &c., and being full of their qualities, &c.’ After posture describes the Prāṇāyāma, at the same time showing that posture must precede it:—‘Prāṇāyāma is the cessation of the inspiratory and expiratory movements of breath which follows when that has been secured.’ The cessation of the movements of expiration and inspiration exists in the Recaka, Kumbhaka and Puraka branches of the regulation of breath. This, therefore, is a description of the ordinary Prāṇāyāma. This means that where in the Puraka the external air having been expelled is retained inside, the Cessation of the movements of inspiration and expiration takes place. Similarly, where in the Recaka, the external air having been expelled is restrained outside, the cessation of the movements of inspiration and expiration takes place. Similarly, in the Kumbhaka too. This is what the commentary says:—‘When posture has been, &c.’—49.