HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA Yogi Svatmarama Sanskrit text with English Translatin & Notes HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA हठयोगप्रदीपिका Translated by Pancham Sinh Source of Etext: http:// sacredtexts.com THE HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 1 - ON ÂSANAS ................................................. 16 Âsanas ........................................................................................................ 25 Swastikaâsana ............................................................................................ 26 Gomukhaâsana ........................................................................................... 26 Vîrâsana ...................................................................................................... 27 Kurmâsana .................................................................................................. 27 Kukkutâsana ............................................................................................... 28 Uttâna Kûrmaâsana .................................................................................... 28 Dhanurâsana ............................................................................................... 29 Matsyaâsana ............................................................................................... 29 Paśchima Tâna ............................................................................................ 30 Mayûraâsana. ............................................................................................. 31 Śavaâsana ................................................................................................... 33 The Siddhâsana ........................................................................................... 34 Padmâsana ................................................................................................. 38 The Simhâsana ............................................................................................ 42 2 THE HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA The Bhadrâsana .......................................................................................... 43 Foods injurious to a Yogî ............................................................................. 46 CHAPTER II - ON PRÂNÂYÂMA ...................................... 51 Shatkarma .................................................................................................. 60 The Dhauti .................................................................................................. 61 The Basti ..................................................................................................... 62 The Neti ...................................................................................................... 64 The Trâtaka ................................................................................................. 65 The Nauli..................................................................................................... 66 The Kapâla Bhâti ......................................................................................... 67 Gaja Karani ................................................................................................. 68 Manonmanî ................................................................................................ 70 Different hinds of Kumbhakas ..................................................................... 71 Sûrya Bhedana ............................................................................................ 73 Ujjâyî .......................................................................................................... 81 Sîtkârî ......................................................................................................... 82 Śîtalî ............................................................................................................ 84 The Bhastrikâ .............................................................................................. 85 The Bhrâmari .............................................................................................. 89 The mûrchhâ ............................................................................................... 89 3 THE HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA The Plâvinî .................................................................................................. 90 Indications of success in the practice of Hatha Yoga ................................... 94 CHAPTER III - ON MUDRÂS ............................................. 95 The mudrâs ................................................................................................. 97 The mahâ mudrâ ......................................................................................... 99 The mahâ Bandha ..................................................................................... 103 The mahâ Vedha ....................................................................................... 106 The Khechari Mudra.................................................................................. 108 The Uddiyâna Bandha ............................................................................... 121 The mûla Bandha ...................................................................................... 123 The Jâlandhara Bandha ............................................................................. 127 The Viparîta Karanî ................................................................................... 131 The Vajrolî ................................................................................................ 133 The Sahajolî .............................................................................................. 137 The Amarolî .............................................................................................. 138 The Śakti châlana ...................................................................................... 142 CHAPTER IV - ON SAMÂDHI ......................................... 153 The Sâmbhavî mudrâ ................................................................................ 167 The Unmanî .............................................................................................. 169 The Târaka ................................................................................................ 169 4 THE HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA The Khecharî ............................................................................................. 171 End of the Khecharî ................................................................................... 176 Ârambha Avasthâ ..................................................................................... 182 The Ghata Avasthâ .................................................................................... 183 The Parichaya Avasthâ .............................................................................. 184 The Nishthavastha .................................................................................... 185 5 THE HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA INTRODUCTION There exists at present a good deal of misconception with regard to the practices of the Hatha Yoga. People easily believe in the stories told by those who themselves heard them second hand, and no attempt is made to find out the truth by a direct reference to any good treatise. It is generally believed that the six practices, (Shatkarma) in Hatha Yoga are compulsory on the student and that besides being dirty, they are fraught with danger to the practiser. This is not true, for these practices are necessary only in the existence of impurities in the Nâdis, and not otherwise. There is the same amount of misunderstanding with regard to the Prânâyâma. People put their faith implicitly in the stories told them about the dangers attending the practice, without ever taking the trouble of ascertaining the fact themselves. We have been inspiring and expiring air from our birth, and will continue to do so till death; and this is done without the help of any teacher. Prânâyâma is nothing but a properly regulated form of the otherwise irregular and hurried flow of air, without using much force or undue restraint; and if this is accomplished by patiently keeping the flow slow and steady, there can be no danger. It is the impatience for 6 THE HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA the Siddhis which cause undue pressure on the organs and thereby causes pains in the ears, the eyes, the chest, etc. If the three bandhas (Bandha) be carefully performed while practising the Prânâyâma, there is no possibility of any danger. There are two classes of students of Yoga: (1) those who study it theoretically; (2) those who combine the theory with practice. Yoga is of very little use, if studied theoretically. It was never meant for such a study. In its practical form, however, the path of the student is beset with difficulties. The books on Yoga give instructions so far as it is possible to express the methods in words, but all persons, not being careful enough to follow these instructions to the very letter, fail in their object. Such persons require a teacher versed in the practice of Yoga. It is easy to find a teacher who will explain the language of the books, but this is far from being satisfactory. For instance, a Pandit without any knowledge of the science of materia medica will explain ‘Kantakari’ as ‘Kantakasyaarih Kantakaari’ or an enemy of thorns, i.e., shoes, while it is in reality the name of a medicinal plant. 7 THE HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA The importance of a practical Yogî as a guide to a student