हठयोग प्रदीपिका (योगी स्वात्माराम - ज्योत्स्ना टीका सहित सटीक)

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.

46 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ
The term vāruṇī means wine. In the above two stanzas
is given an excellent instance of the way in which the Hindu occult
writers veil their real meaning under apparently absurd symbols.
The principle seems to be this. They thought that the very absur-
dity of the symbol and its irrelevance to the subject in hand would
force the reader to surmise that there was something behind it
and so he should look deeper for an explanation of this absurdity.
A misconception of this rule seems to have given rise to many
absurd interpretations of really occult symbols, and many pernicious
practices that propitiate animal tendencies and passions. Ex-
amples of this may be multiplied, such as the relations between
Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā and the sixteen thousand gopī-s or cowherdesses;
the five Pāṇḍu brothers marrying one woman, Draupadī; the
stories of ṛṣi-s marrying wives and begetting children of mature
understanding within an inconceivably short time; and the whole
mystic terminology of the Tantra-s that has given rise to so many
disgusting practices.
50. If the tongue constantly touches the cavity
in the palate, making flow the nectar [of the Moon]
that tastes salty, pungent and sour, comparable also
to milk, honey, and ghee [in taste], all diseases are
destroyed, old age is overcome, weapons are warded off,
immortality and the eight siddhi-s are obtained and the
damsels of the demi-gods (siddha-s) are attracted.
51. He who, with upturned face and tongue
closing the cavity of the palate, contemplates the
supreme Power (Kuṇḍalinī), and drinks the clear stream
of nectar flowing in waves from the Moon from the head
into the sixteen-petalled lotus [in the throat] through
the control over Prāṇa, during the Haṭhayoga practice,
that Yogin, freed from diseases, lives long with a
body soft and beautiful as the lotus stem [at its root].

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 47
52. Within the upper part of Meru [i.e. Suṣumnā]
in the cavity, which is the fountain-head of the Nāḍi-s,
is secreted the nectar. He of pure intellect [Sāttvic
in nature, unclouded by Rajas and Tamas] sees therein
the Truth [his own Ātman]. From the Moon there
flows out the nectar, the essence of the body, and hence
death comes to man. Therefore one should practise
the beneficial Khecarī-mudrā [to stop its downward
flow]. If not, there can be no bodily perfection
[endowing the body with beauty, grace, strength and
self-control].
53. The cavity is the conjunction of the five
streams and confers divine knowledge. In the void
of that cavity, untainted [by the effects of avidyā or
nescience, grief and delusion] the Khecarī-mudrā is
firmly lodged.
The streams referred to in the above stanzas are the many
Nāḍi-s, Iḍā, Piṅgalā, Suṣumnā, Gāndhārī, etc. which stand
for the rivers Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Sarasvatī, Narmadā, etc.
54. There is only one germ of evolution [i.e. Oṃ];
there is only one Mudrā, Khecarī; only one deity, not
dependent on anything; and only one [spiritual] state,
Manonmanī.
As the other things mentioned are the most important of their
class, so is Khecarī the best of Mudrā-s.
55. Then the UḌḌĪYĀNA-BANDHA [is described]:
Uḍḍīyāna-bandha is so called by the Yogin-s, for when
it is practised the Prāṇa is arrested and flies through
the Suṣumnā.

48 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ
56. Because through this, the great bird [Prāṇa]
flies up incessantly [through the Suṣumnā] it is the
Uḍḍīyāna. This Bandha is now explained.
Uḍḍīyāna comes from ut and ḍī meaning to ‘fly up’.
57. The drawing back of the abdomen above
[and below] the navel [so that it is drawn against the
back of the body and up towards the thorax] is called
Uḍḍīyāna-bandha. It is the lion that kills the elephant
Death.
In this Bandha, the stomach is compressed within a span.
The process seems to be this: By a very strong expiration the lungs
are emptied and driven against the upper part of the thorax
carrying the diaphragm along with them; and the intestines are
pushed up and fill the vacant space.
58. He who constantly practises the Uḍḍīyāna-
bandha as taught by the Guru so that it becomes
natural, even though he be old, becomes young.
59. He should draw back with effort [the ab-
domen] above and below the navel, and practise for
six months. [Then] he conquers death without doubt.
60. Of all the Bandha-s, the Uḍḍīyāna is the
most excellent. When this has been mastered, libera-
tion follows naturally.
When the Uḍḍīyāna-bandha has been mastered, the Prāṇa
flows up through the Suṣumnā and reaches the Brahmarandhra.
This results in Samādhi and leads to liberation.
61. Then MŪLA-BANDHA [is described]: Pressing
the perineum with the heel, contract the anus so as
to draw the Apāna upwards. This is Mūla-bandha.

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 49
62. By contraction [of the Mūlādhāra] the Apāna,
whose course is downwards, is forced to go upwards
[through Suṣumnā]. Yogin-s call that Mūla-bandha.
63. Pressing the anus with the heal compress the
air forcibly and repeatedly until the breath [Apāna]
goes upwards.
64. Through the Mūla-bandha, Prāṇa and Apāna
unite with Nāda and bindu and confer perfection in
Yoga. There is no doubt about this.
The meaning seems to be this: Through the Mūla-bandha,
the Prāṇa and Apāna unite and go into the Suṣumnā . Then the
inner sound (Nāda) becomes audible and the Prāṇa and Apāna
uniting with Nāda go above the heart and join the bindu, i.e. the
anusvāra or the inaudible sound of the point in the sacred syllable
Oṃ, symbolizing the transcendent Śiva. They then proceed to the
head and thus the Yogin obtains perfection. Nāda is the mysti-
cal inner sound proceeding from the Anāhatacakra or the cardiac
centre.
65. By constant practice of the Mūla-bandha, a
union of Prāṇa and Apāna is achieved. Urine and
excrement decrease and even the aged become young.
66. When the Apāna rises upwards and reaches
the sphere of fire, then the flame of the fire becomes
lengthened, being fanned by Apāna.
The sphere of the fire is said to be triangular in shape and is
situated in the centre of the body, below the navel. In the case
of animals it is rectangular, and circular in the case of birds.
The flame of the fire referred to is the gastric fire.
67. When the Apāna and the fire join Prāṇa,
which is by nature hot, then the heat in the body is
greatly intensified.

• 4

50 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ
68. By reason of that, the Kuṇḍalinī which is
asleep, feeling the extreme heat, is awakened, just as
a serpent struck by a stick hisses and straightens
itself.
69. Then it enters within the Suṣumnā, like
[a snake] which enters its hole. Therefore the Yogin-s
should every day and always practise Mūla-bandha.
70. Then the JĀLAṂDHARA-BANDHA [is described]:
Contract the throat and hold the chin firmly against
the chest [about four inches from the chest]. This is
the Bandha called Jālaṃdhara which destroys old age
and death.
71. Because it constricts the network (jāla) of
Nāḍī-s and [arrests] the downward course of the flow
of ambrosial water (jāla) [from the cavity in the palate],
this Bandha is Jālaṃdhara. It destroys all the maladies
of the throat.
72. When the Jālaṃdhara-bandha is practised,
by contraction of the throat, the nectar does not fall
into the [gastric] fire and the Prāṇa is not agitated
[i.e. not misdirected].
73. By the [firm] contraction of the throat the
two Nāḍī-s [Iḍā and Piṅgalā] are deadened. Here
[in the throat] is situated the middle Cakra (Viśuddhi).
This binds the sixteen ādhāra-s (vital centres).
They are the toes, ankles, knees, thighs, the perineum, the
generative organs, the navel, the heart, the neck, the throat, the
tongue, the nose, the centre of the eyebrows, the forehead, the head
and the Brahmarandhra, i.e. the upper opening of the Suṣumnā
Nāḍī in the skull.

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 51
74. Contracting the anus, practise the Uḍḍīyāna-
bandha. Constrain the Iḍā and the Piṅgalā [by the
Jālaṁdhara-bandha], and cause [the breath] to flow
through the Suṣumnā.
75. By these means the breath becomes motion-
less [in the Suṣumnā]; then there is no death, old age,
disease, etc.
76. Yogin-s know these three excellent Bandha-s
practised by the great Siddha-s, which are the means
of success in the various Haṭha-yoga practices.
77. Here Viparītakaraṇī [is described]: What-
ever nectar flows from the Moon which is of divine
form, all that is swallowed up by the Sun. Hence the
body becomes old.
The Moon is situated at the root of the palate and pours down
a stream of nectar; the Sun is situated near the navel and its fire
consumes the ambrosial flow.
78. There is an excellent process (karaṇa) by
which the Sun is duped. This should be learnt from
the Guru, and not through theoretical study of the
Śāstra-s.
79. When the Sun is above and the Moon below
[of the practitioner] whose navel is above and palate
below, it is the Viparītakaraṇī. It is to be learnt
through the instructions of a Guru.
80. In the case of one who practises this daily,
the gastric fire is increased, and the practitioner should
always have plenty of food.

52 HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ
81. If he stints his diet, the fire quickly consumes
[the body]. On the first day he should stand for a
moment upon his head, with his feet above.
The process is this. The body should be raised in the air
by resting the back of the head and neck and shoulders upon the
ground, supporting the hips with the hands, the elbows resting on
the ground if required.
82. Practise this by increasing the duration gra-
dually every day. After six months wrinkles and grey
hair disappear. He who practises this for a yāma
(i.e. three hours) daily, conquers death.
83. Then VAJROLĪ [is described]: Even someone
living an unrestricted life, without the disciplines
prescribed by Yoga, if he knows well [by practice] the
Vajrolī, becomes the repository of the siddhi-s.
84. Here I mention two things that are difficult
for anyone to obtain: the one is milk [at the proper
time] and the other, a woman who acts according to
one’s wishes.
Attention is drawn to the previous note (III. 43) pointing
out that such statements should not be taken literally.
85. At the time of [the emission of the seminal
fluid during] sexual intercourse, practise slowly and
well to draw [it] up. Thus a man or a woman will
obtain success in Vajrolī.
86. Blow with effort into the hole of the penis
through a prescribed tube very slowly so as to allow
the passage of air.

HAṬHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ 53
The process as described by the commentator is as follows:
‘Obtain a very fine lead tube, fourteen aṅgula-s (finger-breadths)
long, and practise inserting it into the urethra, at the rate of one
aṅgula a day, until twelve aṅgula-s are introduced within leaving
two aṅgula-s outside, bent to face upwards. Then get another fine
tube and insert it into the above-mentioned tube, and blow through
it softly. This will clear all impurities in the passage. Then
practise drawing up water through the tube, and later on, draw up
the semen. This succeeds only in the case of those whose breath is
brought under control. When the Khecarī-mudrā and breath-
control have been thoroughly mastered, then this will succeed, not
otherwise.
87. The semen that is about to fall into the genital
organ of a woman should be drawn up by practice
[of the Vajrolī-mudrā]. If already fallen he should
draw up his own semen [and the woman’s seminal fluid]
and [thus] preserve it.
88. Thus the knower of Yoga should preserve
his semen. He [thereby] conquers death. When the
semen is expended, death ensues [in due course]; but
there is [prolonged] life for him who preserves it.
89. By preserving the semen [by the Vajrolī-
mudrā], a pleasant smell arises in the body of the
Yogin. As long as the semen is well retained in the
body, whence is the fear of death?
90. The semen of men is subject to control by
the mind and life depends upon the semen. Therefore
both semen and mind should be carefully preserved
and controlled.
91. A person perfect in this practice should, by
drawing up well [the fluids] through the penis, preserve