Gita Bhashya -Sankara 180

Shri Sankara's Gita Bhashya

(Sri Sankaracharya's Commentary on the Gita)

CHAPTER -4

Apāne juhvati prānam prāne(a)pānam tathā(d) pare Prānāpāna gatī ruddhvā prānāyārna-parāyanāh 29. Yet some offer as sacrifice the outgoing breath into the incoming breath and the incoming into the outgoing, stopping the courses of the outgoing and the incoming breaths, constantly practising the regula­ tion of the vital energy. Yet some offer as sacrifice the outgoing into the incoming breath: i.e. they perform the kind of prānāyāma known as "Pflraka"; and the incoming into the outgoing: i.e. they also perform that kind of prānāyāma known as "Recaka"; stopping the courses of the outgoing and the incoming breaths, constantly practising the regulation of the vital energy: i.e. they perform that kind of prānāyāma known as "Kumbhaka", by restraining the outgoing breath (prāna) from passing through the mouth and the nostrils? and the incoming breath (apāna) from passing in the contrary direction, namely downwards. And again-