1182 Stimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 28
two thighs and ankles and sit straight; that posture will help one to con-
centrate his mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This very
process is also recommended in Bhagavad-gita, Sixth Chapter. It is further
suggested that one sit in a secluded, sanctified spot. The seat should
consist of deerskin and kusa grass, topped with cotton.
TEXT 9
EY
AT MIA LEME: |
casa T Fd en feraaey U8 I
pranasya sodhayen margam
pira-kumbhaka-recakaih
pratikilena va cittam
yatha sthiram acajicalam
pranasya—of vital air; sSodhayet—one should clear; margam—the passage;
pira-kumbhaka-recakaih—by inhaling, retaining, and exhaling; pratikilena—
by reversing; vd—or; cittam—the mind; yatha—so that; sthiram—steady;
acajicalam—free from disturbances.
TRANSLATION
The yogi should clear the passage of vital air by breathing in the
following manner: first he should inhale very deeply, then hold the breath
in, and finally exhale. Or, reversing the process, the yogi can first exhale,
then hold the breath outside, and finally inhale. This is done so that the
mind may become steady and free from external disturbances.
PURPORT
These breathing exercises are performed to control the mind and
fix it on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sa vai manah krsna-
padaravindayoh: the devotee Ambarisa Maharaja fixed his mind on the
lotus feet of Krsna twenty-four hours a day. The process of Krsna con-
sciousness is to chant Hare Krsna and to hear the sound attentively so that
the mind is fixed upon the transcendental vibration of Krsna’s name, which
is nondifferent from Krsna the personality. The real purpose of controlling
the mind by the prescribed method of clearing the passage of the life air is
achieved immediately if one fixes his mind directly on the lotus feet of
