Verse 38

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 38:

इह स्थाने विष्णोरतुलपरमामोदमधुरे
  समरोप्य प्राणं प्रमुदितमनाः प्राणनिधने ।
परं नित्यं देवं पुरुषमजमाद्यं त्रिजगतां
  पुराणं योगीन्द्रः प्रविशति च वेदान्तविदितं ॥ ३८ ॥

iha sthāne viṣṇoratulaparamāmodamadhure
  samaropya prāṇaṃ pramuditamanāḥ prāṇanidhane |
paraṃ nityaṃ devaṃ puruṣamajamādyaṃ trijagatāṃ
  purāṇaṃ yogīndraḥ praviśati ca vedāntaviditaṃ || 38 ||

This is the incomparable and delightful abode of Viṣṇu. The excellent Yogī at the time of death joyfully places his vital breath (Prāṇa)^[1] here and enters (after death) that Supreme, Eternal, Birthless, Primeval Deva, the Puruṣa, who was before the three worlds, and who is known by the Vedānta.

Commentary by Śrī-Kālīcaraṇa:

He now speaks of the good to be gained by giving up the Prāṇa by Yoga in the Ājñā-Cakra.

This verse means: The excellent Yogī (Yogīndra) at the time of death (Prāṇa-nidhane) joyfully (Pramudita-manāḥ) places his Prāṇa (Prāṇam samāropya) in the abode of Viṣṇu in the Ājñā-Cakra (Iha sthāne Viṣṇoh—i.e., in the abode of Bhagavān in the Bindu already described), and passes away, and then enters the Supreme Puruṣa.

“At the time of death” (Prāṇa-nidhane)—i.e., feeling the approach of death.

“Joyfully” (Pramudita-manāḥ).—Glad in mind in the enjoyment of the blissful union with Ātmā. (Ātmānandena hṛṣṭa-cittaḥ.)

“Bhagavān=Parama-Śiva (see previous Śloka).

“Here” (Iha sthāne—in the Bindu in the Ājñā-Cakra spoken of above).

“Places the Prāṇa here” (Iha sthāne prāṇam samāropya)—he places it on the Bindu already spoken of. He describes Puruṣa as Eternal.

“Eternal” (Nitya [nityam]).—Indestructible (Vināśarahita [vināśarahitaṃ]).

“Birthless” (Aja).

“Primeval” (Purāṇa).—He is the one known as the Purāṇa Puruṣa.^[2]

“Deva” means he whose play is Creation, Existence, and Destruction.

“Who was before the three worlds” (Tri-jagatāṃ ādyaṃ).^[3]—By this the implication is that He is the Cause of all as He preceded all.

“Known by the Vedānta” (Vedānta-vidita).^[4]—Vedānta are sacred texts dealing with the inquiry concerning the Brahman. He is known by a Knowledge (Jñāna) of these.

The way the Prāṇa is placed (Prāṇāropaṇa-prakāra) in the place of Viṣṇu is described below: Knowing that the time for the Prāṇa to depart is approaching, and glad that he is about to be absorbed into the Brahman, the Yogī sits in Yogāsana and restrains his breath by Kuṃbhaka. He then leads the Jīvātmā in the heart to the Mūlādhāra, and by contracting the anus^[5] and following other prescribed processes rouses the Kuṇḍalinī. He next meditates upon the lightning-like, blissful Nāda which is threadlike and whose substance is Kuṇḍalī (Kuṇḍalinī-maya). He then merges the Haṃsa which is the Paramātmā in the form of Prāṇa^[6] in the Nāda, and leads it along with the Jīva through the different Cakras according to the rules of Cakra-bheda to Ājñā-Cakra. He there dissolves all the diverse elements from the gross to the subtle, beginning with Pṛthivī, in Kuṇḍalinī. Last of all, he unifies Her and the Jīvātmā with the Bindu whose substance is Śiva and Śakti (Śiva-Śakti-maya); which having done, he pierces the Brahma-randhra and leaves the body, and becomes merged in the Brahman.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Compare, Bhagavad-Gītā, Ch. VIII, vv. 9 and 10, and the commentary of Śaṃkarācārya and Madhusūdana-Sarasvatī on those verses.

[2]:

According to Śaṃkara, it is an adjective, and means “He who is the cause of Creation,” and the like.

[3]:

That is, the three spheres Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ, Svaḥ, the Vyāhṛtis of the Gāyatrī.

[4]:

Śaṃkara reads Vedānta-vihita, and explains the expression to mean “this is the teaching of the Vedānta”.

[5]:

Gudaṃ ākuñcya—that is, by Aśvinī-Mudrā.

[6]:

Prānarupa-śvāsa-paramātmakaṃ. See Jñānārṇava-Tantra, Ch. XXI, vv. 13-18.