हठयोग प्रदीपिका (योगी स्वात्माराम - ज्योत्स्ना टीका सहित सटीक)

26 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 22. These six acts are named Dhauti, Vasti, Neti, Trāṭaka, Nauli and Kapālabhāti. 23. These six acts that purify the body should be kept secret, as they produce various wonderful results, and [as such] are held in high esteem by great Yogin-s. 24. Here DHAUTI [is described]: Slowly swallow a wet piece of cloth four fingers broad and fifteen spans long according to the instructions of the Guru. Draw it out again. This process is called Dhauti. A long strip taken from a new muslin cloth would do well. Swallow a span the first day and increase it daily by a span. The cloth should also be a little warm. 25. By the efficacy of Dhauti, bronchial diseases, asthma, Pliha (diseases of the spleen), leprosy [and similar skin diseases] and twenty other diseases brought on by phlegm disappear. There is no doubt about this. 26. Then VASTI [is described]: Seated in water up to the navel in the Utkaṭāsana [resting the body on the toes of the feet, the heels pressing against the buttocks], insert a [small bamboo] tube into the anus and contract the anus [so as to draw the water in, shake it and then expel it]. Such washing is Vasti. 27. By the power of Vasti, Gulma and Pliha (enlargement of glands and spleen), Udara (dropsy or other stomach diseases) and all diseases arising from an excess of wind, bile and phlegm are cured.

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 27 The bamboo tube should be six finger breadths long, and a length of four finger ,breadths should be inserted in the anus. Some practise Vasti without this tube, but it is very dangerous as all the water does not come out and so causes many diseases. The above two processes should not be gone through after a meal, nor should one delay taking food after these. 28. This Jalavasti, when [duly] practised, refines the bodily constitution (dhātu-s), sense-organs (indriya-s) and the internal organ (antaḥkaraṇa); it makes [the body] bright and increases the digestive power; it destroys all the disorders in the constitution. 29. Then NETI [is described]: Insert through a nasal passage a smooth thread of the length of a hand- span [about nine inches] and draw it out through the mouth. This is called Neti by the Siddha-s. The thread should have no knots. The way to do this is to put one end of the thread into the nose and closing the other nostril with the finger, inhale the breath and exhale it through the mouth. By a repetition of this process the thread gets into the mouth. Then take it and pull it out. One can also pass the thread through one nostril and draw it through the other. 30. This purifies the [region of the] skull and makes the sight capable of perceiving subtle things. Also, Neti soon removes all diseases of the body above the shoulders. 31. Then TRĀṬAKA [is described]: Look with fixed eyes [without winking] at a minute object with concentration till tears are shed. This is called Trā- ṭaka by the teachers.

28 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 32. By Trāṭaka, all diseases of the eyes are removed and sloth, etc. are overcome. It should be carefully kept secret like a golden casket. 33. Then NAULI [is described]: With the shoulders bent down, one should rotate to right and left the stomach with the speed of a fast-circling eddy. This is called Nauli by the Siddha-s. 34. This Nauli, the crown of Haṭha-yoga practice, stimulates the gastric fire if dull, increases the digestive power, produces happiness and destroys all diseases and disorders of the humours. 35. Then KAPĀLABHĀTI [is described]: Perform Recaka (exhalation) and Pūraka (inhalation) rapidly like the bellows of a blacksmith. This is called Kapāla- bhāti, and destroys phlegmatic diseases. 36. Freed from corpulence, phlegmatic disorders, impurities, etc. by [the performance of the above] six acts, one should practise Prāṇāyāma. Then success [in Yoga] is achieved without strain. 37. Some teachers say that all impurities [of the Nāḍi-s] are removed by Prāṇāyāma alone and other acts [the above-mentioned six] are not accepted [by them]. 38. Then GAJAKARAṆĪ [is described]: [Yogin-s] draw up the Apāna to the throat and vomit the sub- stances [food, water, etc.] that are in the stomach. [This act] the gradual practice of which brings all the Nāḍi-s under control is called Gajakaraṇī by those who know Haṭha-yoga.

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 29 39. Even Brahmā and the other gods devoted themselves to the practice of Prāṇāyāma because of the fear of death. So, one should practise control of breath. 40. So long as the breath is restrained in the body, so long as the mind is calm and steady, so long as the vision is directed to the centre of the eyebrows, why should there be fear of death? 41. When the Nāḍi-cakra has been purified by a properly regulated course of Prāṇāyāma, the breath forces open the mouth of the Suṣumnā and easily enters it. 42. When the breath flows through the Suṣumnā, the mind becomes steady. This steadiness of the mind is the state called Manonmanī [or Unmanī]. 43. To attain it, those who know the procedure practise various sorts of Kumbhaka-s. By practice of the various Kumbhaka-s diverse siddhi-s are obtained. As said in the Bhāgavata-purāṇa, one obtains, through the practice of Yoga, all those siddhi-s that are obtained conjointly by previous karman, the use of herbs, religious austerities and mantra-s. 44. The different Kumbhaka-s are now [des- cribed]: There are eight Kumbhaka-s, namely Sūrya- bhedana, Ujjāyī, Sītkārī, Śītalī, Bhastrikā, Bhrāmarī, Mūrchā and Plāvinī. 45. At the end of inhalation (Pūraka), the Jālamdhara-bandha should be practised. At the end of Kumbhaka and at the beginning of exhalation (Recaka), Uḍḍīyāna-bandha should be practised.

30 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ The former Bandha is described in III. 70, and the latter in III. 57. 46. Contracting the throat [in the Jālaṁdhara- bandha], and the anus [in the Mūla-bandha] at the same time, and by drawing back the abdomen [in the Uḍḍīyāna-bandha], the Prāṇa flows through the Suṣumnā (Brahma-nāḍī). If one has learned from his Guru the Jihvā-bandha, by practising that first and Jālaṁdhara-bandha afterwards, Prāṇā- yāma follows easily. But if the Jihvā-bandha is not known, then the procedure given above should be followed. These three Bandha-s are to be learnt from the Guru, for if practised wrongly they bring on various diseases. 47. Raising the Apāna upwards [by contracting the anus] the Prāṇa should be brought downwards from the throat. The Yogin [then] becomes a youth of sixteen, freed from old age. In this the Mūla-bandha and the Jālaṁdhara-bandha are described; the third, Uḍḍīyāna-bandha is not mentioned as it naturally follows from the above. 48. Then SŪRYABHEDANA [is described]: Assum- ing an Āsana on a comfortable seat, the Yogin should slowly draw in the air outside through the right Nāḍī (Piṅgalā). A work on Yoga describes the daily life that a Yogin is expected to lead. He should rise at 4 or 6 o'clock in the morning. Having contemplated his Guru in his mind and his chosen deity in his heart, he should wash and clean his teeth and smear himself with holy ash. Seated on a soft seat in a pleasant maṭha, he should salute mentally his Guru. Then he should make Saṁkalpa in

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 31 this form: In the second half of the life of Ādi Brahmā, that goes on by the order of Viṣṇu, the great Puruṣa, in the Śvetavarāha- kalpa, in the Vaivasvata-manvantara, in the first quarter of the Kali-yuga, in the Jambū-dvīpa, in the Bhārata-varṣa, in the Bharata-khaṇḍa, to the South of Meru, where the Śaka era prevails, in the sixty year cycle beginning with Prabhava, in the year ............in the.........Ayana, in the.........Ṛtu, in the month of........ in the........half of the month, on the..........day of it, on this holy day, in the........day of the week, in this.........star, when the yoga-s are all very propitious by the command of the Lord, for attaining Samādhi and its results, I begin to perform Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, etc. After performing this Saṃkalpa, he should offer saluta- tions to Śeṣa, the King of the Serpents, that he may successfully go through the Āsana-s. He should then practise the Āsana-s and when fatigued, do the Śavāsana. He should practise what is called Viparītakaraṇī before Kumbhaka. Then having performed ācamana (sipping water while pronouncing a mantra), he should salute the great Yogin-s. He should then assume the Siddhāsana and should perform 10 Prāṇāyāma-s, increasing the number by 5 every day, until he reaches 80. He should first practise Kevala Kumbhaka by the right and left Nāḍī-s. Then follows Sūrya- bhedana, Ujjāyī, Sītkārī, Śītalī and Bhastrikā, and then the others. Then the Mudrā-s should be practised as taught by the Guru. He should after that assume the Padmāsana and practise concentra- tion upon the inner sound (nāda). In the end he should offer up all these to Īśvara. Having got up he should bathe in hot water. Then the daily duties should be performed briefly. The same process should be gone through at midday. After that he should take some rest and eat his meal. Then he should take cloves, menthol, or betel-leaf without lime. After the meal he should study the Śāstra-s that treat of liberation or he should hear the Purāṇa-s expounded; or repeat the names of Īśvara. When it is an hour and a half to sunset, he should begin to practise as before and then perform the Saṃdhyāvandana (daily rite of the dvija). He should not practise Viparītakaraṇī in the evening and midnight or after a meal. Then he should begin to practise at midnight.

32 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 49. [Then] he should practise Kumbhaka, re- taining [the breath] to the utmost till it is felt from the hair [on the head] to the ends of the nails [in the toes, i.e. pervading the whole body]. Then he should slowly exhale the air through the left Nāḍī (Iḍā). 50. This excellent Sūryabhedana [Kumbhaka] should again and again be practised, as it purifies the brain, destroys diseases arising from excess of wind, and cures maladies caused by worms [bacteria, etc.]. 51. Now UJJĀYĪ [is described]: Closing the mouth, draw in air slowly through [both] the nostrils till it [the breath] is felt to be sonorous from the throat to the heart. 52. Perform Kumbhaka as before and exhale the air through Iḍā. This removes disorders in the throat caused by phlegm and stimulates the [digestive] fire in the body. 53. It puts an end to the diseases of the Nāḍī-s and the dhātu-s, as also dropsy. Walking or standing, [this] Kumbhaka called Ujjāyī should be practised. 54. Then SĪTKĀRĪ [is described]: Make a hissing sound with the mouth [while inhaling air] and exhale only through the nostril. By the Yoga consisting of repeated practice of this, one becomes a second god of beauty (Kāmadeva). The hissing sound is made by putting the tongue between the teeth and breathing in. 55. He becomes an object of high regard among the circles of Yoginī-s; he is able to create and destroy;

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 33 neither hunger, nor thirst, somnolence or indolence arise [in him]. 56. By this practice strength of body is gained, and the lord of Yogin-s, becomes surely free of afflic- tions of every kind on this earthly sphere. 57. Then ŚĪTALĪ [is described]: [Protruding the tongue a little outside the lips] inhale air with the tongue [curled up to resemble a bird’s beak] and per- form Kumbhaka as before. Then the intelligent [practitioner] should slowly exhale the air through the nostrils. 58. This Kumbhaka named Śītalī destroys dis- eases of the abdomen and spleen and other diseases as also fever, biliousness, hunger, thirst and [the bad effects of] poisons. 59. Then BHASTRIKĀ [is described]: When the two feet are placed upon the [opposite] thighs, that is the Padmāsana which destroys all ill effects (pāpa-s). 60, 61. Having assumed the Padmāsana properly, with the neck and abdomen in line, the intelligent [practitioner] should close the mouth and breathe out the air through the nostrils with effort till it is felt to resound in the heart, throat and up to the skull. Then air should be inhaled rapidly till it touches the lotus of the heart. 62, 63. Again, he should exhale in the same man- ner and inhale thus again and again. Even as the blacksmith works his bellows with speed, he should, with his mind, keep the Prāṇa in his body [constantly] moving [by Recaka and Pūraka]. When tiredness

• 3

34 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ is felt in the body, he should breathe in by the right nostril. 64. After the interior of the body is quickly filled with air, the nose should be closed tightly with the thumb, the-ring finger and the little finger. 65. Having performed Kumbhaka as prescribed, the breath should be exhaled through the left nostril. This removes the [disorders arising from] excess of wind, bile, and phlegm, and increases the [digestive] fire in the body. Bhastrikā Kumbhaka should be thus performed: Press the left nostril with the ring and little fingers and, by the right nostril, inhale and exhale like a pair of bellows. When tired, perform Kumbhaka, inhaling by the right nostril, and exhaling by the left nostril. Then press the right nostril, and inhale and exhale like the bellows through the left nostril, etc. Thus go on alternately till tired. This is one method: The other way of practising it is to close the left nostril, and inhale as much as possible by the right nostril, quickly close that nostril and then exhale gradually through the left nostril. This should be done many times, and when feeling tired one should inhale through the right nostril, perform Kumbhaka, and exhale through the left nostril. Then this should be done for the other nostril. 66. This rouses the Kuṇḍalinī quickly, and is purifying, pleasant and beneficial. It removes the obstructions caused by phlegm, etc. that exist at the mouth of the Suṣumnā. Sūryabhedana and Ujjāyī generate heat, and Sītkārī and Śītalī are cool. Bhastrikā preserves an equable temperature. Sūryabhedana primarily controls excess of wind, Ujjāyī phlegm, Sītkārī and Śītalī bile, and Bhastrikā, all three.

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 35 67. This Kumbhaka called Bhastrikā should be specially practised, as it enables [the breath] to break through the three knots (granthi-s) that are firmly placed in the Suṣumnā. 68. Then BHRĀMARĪ [is described]: Breathing in rapidly with a resonance resembling the sound of a [male] bee, exhale slowly [after Kumbhaka], making the humming sound of a female bee. By the Yoga, which consists in practising thus, there arises an in- describable bliss in the hearts of the best among Yogin-s. 69. Then MŪRCHĀ [is described]: At the end of inhalation, very firmly assuming the Jālaṃdhara- bandha, exhale [the breath] slowly. This is called Mūrchā [Kumbhaka], as it reduces the mind to a state of inactivity and confers happiness. 70. Then PLĀVINĪ [is described]: Owing to the air which has been abundantly drawn in, completely filling the interior, [the Yogin] floats easily, even on deep waters, like a lotus leaf. 71. Prāṇāyāma is said to be threefold [consisting of] Recaka, Pūraka and Kumbhaka. Kumbhaka is also known to be of two kinds: Sahita and Kevala. The first kind of Prāṇāyāma consists in performing Recaka first, i.e. exhaling and stopping inhalation; the second in doing Pūraka first, i.e. inhaling and retaining the breath inside, thus filling the Nāḍī-s; the third consists in inhaling and holding the air as in a pot. (This is the same as the second Prāṇāyāma.) Another type of Kumbhaka consists in stopping the breath, i.e. being without Pūraka and Recaka. The Sahita Kumbhaka is of two sorts: the first type is preceded by Recaka and resembles the first kind of Prāṇāyāma, the second type is preceded by Pūraka

36 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ and resembles the second kind of Prāṇāyāma. Kevala Kumbhaka is the same as Kumbhaka Prāṇāyāma. 72. As long as one does not achieve Kevala Kum- bhaka, one should practise Sahita. The Sahita should be practised till the Prāṇa enters Suṣumnā, which is known by a peculiar sound being produced in the Suṣumnā. Then he should practise only ten or twenty Sahita Kumbhaka-s. and increase the Kevala Kumbhaka-s to eighty. 72-73. Without exhalation or inhalation, when the breath is retained with ease, this sort of Prāṇāyāma is called Kevala Kumbhaka. 73-74. When this Kevala Kumbhaka has been mastered without any exhalation or inhalation, there is nothing unattainable by him in the three worlds. 74-75. He who is fully competent through this Kevala Kumbhaka, through the control of breath, obtains even the stage of Rāja-yoga. There is no doubt about this. 75. Through Kumbhaka, the Kuṇḍalinī is aroused; through arousing Kuṇḍalinī, the Suṣumnā is free of all obstacles, and perfection in Haṭha-yoga is obtained. 76. One cannot obtain perfection in Rāja-yoga without Haṭha-yoga, nor [perfection] in Haṭha-yoga without Rāja-yoga. So both should be practised till perfection [in Rāja-yoga] is obtained. 77. At the end of the retention of breath in Kumbhaka, the mind should be made free of objects. By thus practising, the stage of Rāja-yoga is reached.

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 37 78. The signs of [perfection in] Haṭha-yoga are: Slimness of body, brightness in the face, manifestation of the inner sound (nāda), very clear eyes, freedom from disease, control over the seminal fluid, stimulation of the [digestive] fire and complete purification of the Nāḍī-s.

THIRD CHAPTER

1. As [Ananta] the Lord of Serpents is the support of the earth with its mountains and forests, so Kuṇḍalinī is the support of all the Yoga practices.
2. When the sleeping Kuṇḍalinī is awakened by the grace of the Guru, then all the lotuses [the cakra-s or mystic centres] and knots [granthi-s] are pierced.
3. Then Suṣumnā becomes the royal road for Prāṇa. Then the mind remains objectless. Then death is deceived.
4. Suṣumnā, Śūnyapadavī (the great void), Brah- marandhra (the entry to Brahman), Mahāpatha (the great road), Śmaśāna (the burning ground), Śāmbhavī [appertaining to the auspicious Śambhu) and Madhya- mārga (the central path)—these refer to the same thing.
5. Therefore, making every effort, the [various] Mudrā-s should be practised to awaken the powerful goddess (Kuṇḍalinī) who sleeps at the mouth of Suṣumnā [the doorway to the Absolute]. 6, 7. Mahā-mudrā, Mahā-bandha, Mahā-vedha, Khecarī, Uḍḍīyāna, Mūla-bandha, Jālamdhara-bandha, Viparītakaraṇī, Vajrolī and Śakticālana—these are the ten Mudrā-s. They destroy old age and death.
6. These were expounded by the primeval Lord (Śiva); they are divine and confer the eight siddhi-s.

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 39 They are favoured by all Siddha-s and are difficult to obtain even by the Deva-s. 9. This should be kept secret like a casket of precious gems. It should not be spoken of to anybody, as in the case of intercourse with a well-born woman. 10. Here MAHĀ-MUDRĀ [is described]: Pressing the perineum with the left heel and stretching out the right leg take firm hold [of the toes of the right foot] with the hands. 11, 12. Contract the throat [in the Jālamdhara- bandha] and hold the breath in the upper part [i.e. in the Suṣumnā]. Then the Kuṇḍalinī force becomes at once straight just as a [coiled] snake when struck by a rod straightens itself out like a stick. Then the other two Nāḍī-s [Iḍā and Piṅgalā] become lifeless [because the Prāṇa goes out of them]. 13. Then one should breathe out very slowly and never quickly. This has been declared to be Mahāmudrā by the great Siddha-s. 14. [By this] such painful factors as the great kleśa-s and death, etc. are vanquished. Therefore, the wisest of men call it the Mahā-mudrā (the great Mudrā). The kleśa-s are five in number, namely avidyā (ignorance or illusion), asmitā (egoism), rāga (attachment), dveṣa (repulsion) and abhiniveśa (clinging to life). The Mahāmudrā is so called as it seals off (mudrā) all pains. 15. After having practised well on the left side, it should be practised then on the right side. When the

40 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ number [of times practised on each side] is equal, then [the practice of] the Mudrā should be ended [for the time]. The practice is on the left side when the left leg is bent and the right leg stretched and on the right side when the opposite is done. 16. [For the practitioner of this] there is nothing wholesome or unwholesome. All things of whatever taste, even those which are insipid and even virulent poison, if consumed, are digested as if it were nectar. 17. The maladies of one who practises Mahā- mudrā—consumption, leprosy, constipation, abdominal diseases, indigestion, etc.—are overcome. 18. Thus has been described this Mahāmudrā which confers great siddhi-s upon men. This should be carefully kept secret and not revealed to any and every body. 19. Then MAHĀ-BANDHA [is described]: Place the heel of the left foot on the perineum and place the right foot upon the left thigh. 20. Having drawn in the breath, and pressing the chin steadily on the breast [in the Jālaṃdhara-bandha], contract the anus [in the Mūla-bandha] and fix the mind on the central Nāḍī (Suṣumnā). 21. Having retained the breath as long as possible, the air should be breathed out slowly. Having prac- tised well on the left side, then practise on the right side. 22. Some are of the view that the contraction of the throat (Jālaṃdhara-bandha) should be avoided

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 41 here and that the contraction effected by the tongue pressed against [the root of] the front-teeth (Jihvā- bandha) is preferable. 23. This [Jihvā-bandha in the course of the Māha-bandha] stops the upward course [of the Prāṇa] through all the Nāḍi-s [except the Suṣumnā]. This Mahā-bandha [helps to] confer great siddhi-s. 24. This is efficacious in freeing one from the great noose of Time (Yama). It brings about the union of the three streams [i.e. Nāḍi-s: Iḍā, Piṅgalā and Suṣumnā]. It enables the mind to reach Kedāra [the sacred seat of Śiva in the mystic centre between the eyebrows]. 25. As a woman endowed with beauty and charm is unfruitful without a husband, so are Mahā-mudrā and Mahā-bandha without the Mahā-vedha. 26. The MAHĀ-VEDHA [is described]: The Yogin, assuming the Mahā-bandha, should draw in the breath with concentrated mind and stop the [upward and down- ward] course of the Prāṇa, etc. by the Jālaṃdhara- bandha. 27. Placing the two palms straight upon the ground, he should strike [the ground] slowly with the buttocks. [Then] the Prāṇa, leaving the two Nāḍī-s [Iḍā and Piṅgalā] courses through the middle [Suṣumnā]. 28. Then takes place the union of the Moon, Sun and Fire (Iḍā, Piṅgalā and Suṣumnā) that surely leads to immortality. There is a death-like state; then the air should be exhaled [slowly].

42 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 29. This is Mahāvedha which, with practice, confers great siddhi-s. This staves off wrinkles, grey hair and trembling [consequent on old age], and the best of practitioners devote themselves [to it]. 30. These three, that ward off old age and death, increase the [gastric] fire and confer siddhi-s such as aṇiman, should be most carefully kept secret. 31. These are performed in eight different ways, every day at every yāma (three-hour period). They confer at all times the fullness of virtue and destroy the accumulation of sin (pāpa). Those who are well guided [by the teacher] in these should practise them gradually. 32. The KHECARĪ [is described]: When the tongue is turned back and enters the cavity leading to the skull, and the eyes are fixed between the eyebrows, this is Khecarī-mudrā. 33. By cutting, shaking and stretching, the tongue should be gradually elongated, till it touches the middle of the eyebrows. Then the Khecarī is successfully accomplished. The procedure for cutting is described in the following verses. Shaking means taking hold of the tongue with the fingers and moving it to left and right. Stretching means taking hold of the tongue and drawing it as one does the udders of a cow in milking it. 34. Taking a smooth, clean knife, very sharp like the leaf of the milkhedge plant, cut to a hair's breadth [the fraenum or tender membrane that connects the tongue with the lower part of the mouth].

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 43: 35. Then rub [the part] with [a compound of] powdered rock salt and Harītakī (yellow myrobalan). Then after seven days, cut [again] to the extent of a hair's breadth. The compound should be rubbed on both morning and evening. As salt is prohibited in the case of Yogin-s, they sub- stitute the burnt powder of Khadira or the woody cassia. In the text, salt is mentioned on the assumption that the Khecarī-mudrā should be practised before the beginning of the Haṭha-yoga practice. The cutting and medication should be done twice daily for seven days. On the eighth day, the cut should be a little deeper. And so on. 36. He should thus practise, gradually and skil- fully every day for six months. In six months the mem- brane which binds at the root of the tongue is severed. 37. Then turning back the tongue, it should be made to enter the junction of the three [Nāḍī-s, i.e. the cavity in the roof of the palate]. This is the Khecarī- mudrā. It is [also] called VYOMACAKRA. 38. The Yogin who remains even for half a kṣaṇa [i.e. for 24 minutes] with his tongue turned up- wards is saved from poisons, disease, death and old age. 39. For him who knows the Khecarī-mudrā there is no disease, death, [intellectual] torpor, sleep, hunger, thirst, or clouding of the intellect. 40. He who knows the Khecarī-mudrā is not afflicted by disease; not tainted by karman, and not affected by Time. The repetition of the results of Khecarī-mudrā is to impress upon the reader its importance.

44 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 41. This Mudrā is named Khecarī by the Siddha-s, because the mind moves in space [Ākāśa; in the centre of the eyebrows] and the tongue [also] moves in the Ākāśa [in the cavity above the palate]. Kha means Ākāśa and carī means ‘ to move ’, hence the word Khecarī. 42. When one has sealed the cavity in the upper part of the palate with the Khecarī-mudrā, his seminal fluid is not emitted even when embraced by a young and passionate woman. 43. Even though the fluid flows and comes down to the genital organ, still arrested by the Yoni-mudrā, it is taken by force upwards. Yoni-mudrā is another name for Vajrolī-mudrā (III. 83 ff.). As many of these Mudrā-s occur in the latter part of the book, it is necessary to give here a word of caution lest people take them literally. Though these descriptions of the Mudrā-s state that these processes involve intercourse with women still the thing carries on its face its contradiction. We cannot for a moment suppose that the terms women, sexual intercourse and seminal fluid are to be understood literally in the case of Yogin-s who have perfected themselves in Yama and Niyama. Moreover, in the same book it is stated that only after a certain stage in Samā- dhi is attained, Vajrolī-mudrā, etc. should be practised (IV. 14). So it seems that these refer to some internal mystical processes connected with the development of the mind. 44. The knower of Yoga, who being steady, has the tongue turned upwards and drinks the Soma juice doubtless conquers death in fifteen days. Above the palate, the Moon is said to be situated and the nectar that flows from it falls down and is consumed by the Sun

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 45 that is near the navel; but if the flow of the nectar is stopped by closing the aperture in the palate it prevents the decay of the body. Soma means the Moon. 45. In the body of the Yogin which is imbued daily with the nectar from the Moon, even though bitten by [the serpent] Takṣaka, poison does not spread. Takṣaka, possessing most virulent poison is one of the eight serpent-kings in Pātāla, the greatest of whom is Śeṣa or Ananta. 46. As fire does not go out so long as there is fuel, as a light does not die out so long as there is oil and wick [in the lamp], so also the dweller in the body does not quit the body as long as it is filled by the nectar of the Moon. 47. He may eat daily gomāṃsa [lit. the flesh of a cow] and he may drink amaravāruṇī [lit. strong liquor]. I consider him to be well born. Others ruin the family. The words in the text, gomāṃsa and amaravāruṇī, are explained in the next two verses. 48. By the word go is meant the tongue. Its entry [into the cavity] in the palate is gomāṃsabhakṣaṇa (eating the flesh of the cow). This destroys the five great sins. The five great sins are said to be: killing a brāhmaṇa, drinking intoxicating liquor, theft, adultery with the wife of a teacher, and associating with anyone guilty of these sins. 49. The nectar which flows from the Moon because of the heat produced by the entry of the tongue, that is amaravāruṇī.