PrANAyAma and VedAnta

[Guest guest]

ShrIgurubhyo namaH

 

Here is an excerpt from an article that is being uploaded in the Files Section

on the above topic. The article contains several Sanskrit quotations.

 

Yoga (prANAyAma) in Upanishads:

http://health.indianetzone.com/yoga/hathyoga/1/yoga_in_upanishads.htm

 

PrANAyAma (Pym), or control/restraint/regulation of breath is a practice aimed

at the control-restraint-regulation of the mind. PrANa (P) or vital force and

mind are closely related. The Sastra says that when the mind is agitated, so is

the prANa. The activation of the subtle prana is reflected in the gross body in

the form of increased respiration. For example, when one is striken with fear

or possessed by lust, one's breathing is not slow, deep and rhythmic. On the

other hand, when the mind is calm, as during meditation, there is a marked

decrease in the breathing rate. It is a pointer to a correlation between mental

fluctuation and activity of prana. The Yoga shastra goes further to postulate

that the control of prana can act as a brake on the wandering mind.

 

Pym, apart from being an aid to mind control, also has the force of Tapas and,

as such, can produce annihilation of sins. In the AmrutanAnda Upanishad it is

said:

 

[Just as the impurities of the ore from mountains are removed by smelting,

likewise, the faults born of the activities of the senses are singed by the

control of P.]

 

Pym is commonly practiced by people with various aims. There is a variety of

techniques involved and the complicated ones are best learned from a Guru. The

Bhagavadgita (Ch.4) specifies that there are yogins who take up the practice of

breath control as a mainstream sadhana and talks about the benefits such

practice give to the yogin, even leading him to liberation. Most importantly,

the Gita specifies that these practices have their origin in the Vedas. This

assurance of Bhagavan Krishna and Acharya Shankara in His commentary,

demystifies the ashtAngayoga connection with the Upanishadic sadhana for Moksha.

There are several Upanishads like the Maitrayani, Amrutabindu, etc. that speak

about these topics.

 

There is no express prohibition by the Acharyas including Shankara that certain

types of Pym should not be practiced OR that such Pym types will not lead to

chittashuddhi or Moksha or that they specifically hamper one's progress.

 

Om Tat Sat

[Guest guest]

Pranams.

What is the most appropriate pranayama in vedanta is beautifully described by

Shankara in Aparokshanubhuti

 

119-120) The negation mishedanam of the phenomenal world prapanchasya is known

as Rechaka (breathing out), the vrtti, “I am verily

Brahman†brahmaivasmi iti, is called Puraka (breathing in), and the

steadiness of that thought thereafter (tatastat vrtti naischalyam) is called

Kumbhaka (restraining the breath). This is the real course of

Pranayama for the enlightened, whereas the ignorant (prabuddhanamajnanam) only

torture the nose (Ghrana Peedanam)!!

 

Hari OM

Shri Gurubhyoh namah

Shyam

 

 

--- On Sat, 10/24/09, subrahmanian_v <subrahmanian_v wrote:

 

 

subrahmanian_v <subrahmanian_v

PrANAyAma and VedAnta

advaitin

Saturday, October 24, 2009, 5:35 AM

PrANAyAma (Pym), or control/restraint/ regulation of breath is a practice aimed

at the control-restraint- regulation of the mind. PrANa (P) or vital force and

mind are closely related.

There is no express prohibition by the Acharyas including Shankara that certain

types of Pym should not be practiced OR that such Pym types will not lead to

chittashuddhi or Moksha or that they specifically hamper one's progress.

 

Om Tat Sat

[Guest guest]

advaitin , Shyam <shyam_md wrote:

>

> Pranams.

> What is the most appropriate pranayama in vedanta is beautifully described by

Shankara in Aparokshanubhuti

>

> 119-120) The negation mishedanam of the phenomenal world prapanchasya is known

as Rechaka (breathing out), the vrtti, “I am verily Brahman†brahmaivasmi

iti, is called Puraka (breathing in), and the steadiness of that thought

thereafter (tatastat vrtti naischalyam) is called Kumbhaka (restraining the

breath). This is the real course of Pranayama for the enlightened, whereas the

ignorant (prabuddhanamajnanam) only torture the nose (Ghrana Peedanam)!!

>

> Hari OM

> Shri Gurubhyoh namah

> Shyam>

>

 

Namaste.

 

It would be surprising to note that Shankara in the commentary for the Gita

verse 4.29 takes pain to explain the very three types of Pranayama, (despite the

Gita verse not specifying these), that are stated above in the

Aparokshanubhuti. I am aware of that kind of depiction of Pranayama by

Shankara. Nevertheless, the above cannot be taken to be an 'express

prohibition....' by Shankara of the practice of Pranayama. For, in the Gita

Lord Krishna and Shankara say that such practitioners do attain Moksha. The

practice specified in the Aparok....is clearly nididhyasanam. The ashTAnga yoga

is adapted to Vedanta niddihyasana practice.

 

The 'enlightened - ignorant' dichotomy is present all over the shastra.

Arjuna's very protest in the beginning of the third chapter of the Gita is a

classic example. He has heard Krishna on the greatness of Jnana yoga and

simultaneously instructing Arjuna to engage in Karma as yoga. Despite his

protests, Krishna steadfastly maintains that Arjuna is fit for Karma yoga alone

and not Jnana yoga, till the end of the Gita discourse.

 

The recent posts on Sannyasa is another case in point: karma sannyasa for a

certain type of adhikari and karma yoga for another.

 

In the 6th chapter, again we find the single verse 3, specifying that for the

one aspiring to ascend to (Dhyana) yoga, karma yoga is the means (i.e. engaging

in karma). For that very aspirant, once he has come to dhyana yoga, shama,

withdrawing from karma is the means. If an aspirant, not guided by a Guru,

concludes that in any case karma has to be given up at a distant point of time;

why not give it up now itself?, it would be disastrous for him.

 

Swami Paramarthananda ji gives the example of: In any case one will have to

leave the school at the end of the 12 year stay leading to school final. Why

enter school at all initially?

 

Shankara, considering the possibility of aspirants going astray, by reading

seemingly contradictory teachings in the scriptures, makes a very pertinent

warning: Even if one is an expert in all the shastras, one aught not to venture

into Atma sadhana without the guidance of a Guru. (Ref: either Mundaka or Katha

Up.) Like Krishna, only a Guru knows where an aspirant stands at a given point

of time in sadhana and instructs accordingly whether he should engage in the

practice of the real pranayama or the notional one that is nididhyasanam.

 

It would be pertinent to note that even in the 6th chapter of the Gita where the

dhyana yoga is necessarily an exercise in nididhyasanam, the need for pranayama

is not obviated. The concluding three verses of the 5th chapter are the

preparatory exercises for the 6th chapter sadhana. And verse 5.27 is a specific

teaching on Pranayama.

 

Best regards,

subbu

 

 

 

> --- On Sat, 10/24/09, subrahmanian_v <subrahmanian_v wrote:

>

>

> subrahmanian_v <subrahmanian_v

> PrANAyAma and VedAnta

> advaitin

> Saturday, October 24, 2009, 5:35 AM

> PrANAyAma (Pym), or control/restraint/ regulation of breath is a practice

aimed at the control-restraint- regulation of the mind. PrANa (P) or vital force

and mind are closely related.

> There is no express prohibition by the Acharyas including Shankara that

certain types of Pym should not be practiced OR that such Pym types will not

lead to chittashuddhi or Moksha or that they specifically hamper one's progress.

>

> Om Tat Sat

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Subbuji,

***

--- On Sun, 10/25/09, subrahmanian_v <subrahmanian_v wrote:

Namaste.

It would be surprising to note that Shankara in the commentary for the Gita

verse 4.29 takes pain to explain the very three types of Pranayama, (despite the

Gita verse not specifying these), that are stated above in the Aparokshanubhuti.

 

***

My response:

That is not at all surprising as 4.29 talks about pranayama - in dealing with

different types of practices the Gita talks about those devoted the practice of

pranayama - pranayamaparayana - not vedantins engaged in

shravana/manana/nidhidhyasana. Similarly 5.27 the Gita verse talks about

pranayama and Shankara glosses according to the verse.

***

I am aware of that kind of depiction of Pranayama by Shankara. Nevertheless, the

above cannot be taken to be an 'express prohibition. ...' by Shankara of the

practice of Pranayama.

***

My response:

Who is talking about " express prohibition... " - which you place in quotes? and

in what context? It would be absurd to even postulate.

 

All I said (in my brief post) was that Shankara gives a wonderful methodology

for nidhidhyasana which gives the vedantic context for pranayama - and that too

in Shankara's own words.

 

The rest of your post about the necessity of Guru, the necessity of karmayoga in

attaining chittashuddhi, as a preparatory and pre-requisite step for jnanayoga,

is something I completely agree with.

 

Namaskarams.

Hari OM

Shri Gurubhyih namah

Shyam