Jneyam - Pranayamam

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Srimad

Bhagavatam narrates the story of the five year old prince Dhruva who

went to the forest to perform penance. His desire was to obtain a

boon from Lord Vishnu to be able to sit on his father's throne. His

severe tapas

for the first three months yielded no result and became more

concentrated and consuming in the fourth month. He breathed only

once in twelve days. During the fifth month Dhruva performed the

pranayama

(control of breathing) called Kumbhaka

and did not breathe (verses 4.8.75-76) at all.

 

Dhruva's

breathing once in twelve days or not breathing at all, may not be

considered realistic or believable by the scientifically minded

people of the twenty-first century. In this context, a record from

the archives of Calcutta, India may be of interest.

 

 

In 1837 a

fakir was buried in Lahore, India (currently in Pakistan) in the

presence of King Ranjit Singh, Sir Claude Wade, Dr. Honigberger and

others. A guard of Sikh soldiers watched the grave day and night to

prevent fraud. The fakir was dug up alive forty days later.

The British

journalist and well known writer Paul Brunton writes about this

incident. During his 'search' Brunton had met “Brama” a recluse

in Madras, India. According to Brama “This faqueer (fakir) had

brought his breathing under great mastery and could stop at will

without danger of dying. ... ... ... If this man could live in an

airless space for such a long time without breathing, how much more

can be done by the true masters of Yoga, who practise in secret and

will not perform these marvels for gold?”

This

historic record makes one think seriously about Dhruva's penance and

pranayama and

not discard it as just another story.

Nair, P.

Gopalan “Srimad Bhagavatam” in Malayalam, 6th

edition, Vol. 3, Gurvayoor Devaswom, Gurvayoor, India, 1995.Brunton,

Paul, “A Search In Secret India,” Rider, London, 2003