The concept of Yoga according to Yoga Upanisads

by Jeong Soo Lee | 2008 | 71,110 words

This essay studies the concept of Yoga as described in the Yoga-Upanisads: a branch of Sanskrit literature forming a subset of the global collection of Upanishads. These texts form the concluding part of the Vedas which are crucial to Indian philosophy, emphasizing knowledge and transcendence beyond the physical world. The Yoga-Upanisads however, e...

1.4. The concept of Nadi (according to Yoga)

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In the Chinese concept of neuro-anatomy, our physical body has net work of intricate energy meridians, which can be seen by super normal perception in deep meditation. This energy is called 'chi.' It is similar to the hatha yogic energy called prana. According to Yoga-Upanisads, prana flows in the thousand nadis. As the energy meridians spread over the body, the state of man is said to be the heap of nadis in Yogacudamanya Upanisad 764 The nadi is known to vilambini, which is well placed in the navel. This is the origin of 759 760 761 762 Cf. MvU, 6. Cf. Yogacudamanya Upanisad, 30. Dhyanabindu Upanisad, 58-61. ་ Yogacudamanya Upanisad, 40; Varamvaramapanamurdhvamanilam proccarayet puritam Muncan pranamupaiti bodhamatulam saktiprabhavannara: Il Cf. Varaha Upanisad, V. 40. Sandilya Upanisad, I. vii. 13. 763 Cf. Yogasikha Upanisad, I. 56. 68. 764 Cf. Darsana Upanisad, IV. 61; Nadipunjam sadasaram narabhavam mahamune l

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188 nadis, which ramify transversely upwards and downwards. 765 There is a knot resembling the egg of a bird, below the navel, form where 72000 are produced, and covering with the vital air. Among the 72000 nadis, 72 are mentioned, of them 14 are important. Mostly, ten are said to be chief ones. These 14 nadis are susumna, pingala, ida, sarasvati, pusa, varuna, hastijiva, yasasvini, alambusa, kuhu, visvodara, payasvini, sankhini and gandhari.77 These are the 14 chief ones, of which, three are still more important, susumna, pingala and ida. They are placed in the pathway of prana and always convey the prana, and have soma (moon), surya (sun), and agni (fire) as their presiding deities. 768 Among these three, the most important one is called Brahma-nadi. The nadi placed in the middle of the knot of navel is called susumna. The place of susumna is firmly attached to the vertebral column with bone as vinadanda (stick of lute), up to the head.769 Just as an elephant always drinks water with its trunk, similarly susumna-nadi swallows the air through vajranala (vajradanda of the vertebral column). There are 21 nodules attached to the vertebral column. All of them are placed in the susumna like a number of gems strung 765 Cf. Yogasikha Upanisad, V. 20; Vilambiniti ya nadi vyakta nabhau pratisthita l Tatra nadya: samutpannastiryagurdhvamadhomukha: Il The literal meaning of 'vilambini' is haning down, dependent and so on in the dictionary. Cf. Dhyanabindu Upanisad, 50-53. Yogacudamanya Upanisad, 15-17. 766 767 Cf. Sandilya Upanisad, I. iv. 9. 768 769 Yogacudamanya Upanisad, 21-22; Idapingalasausumna pranamarge ca samsthita II Satatam pranavahinya: somasuryagnidevata: 1 Pranapanasamanakhya vyanodanau ca vayava: Il Cf. Darsana Upanisad IV. 5-10.

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189 together; susumna which is of the form of the universe moves towards the path to moksa. 770 It is also known as sustaining the world (visvadharini) and the path of liberation (moksa marga). Attached to the spinal cord, the back of the anus, up to the crest of head which is known as brahmarandra, it becomes distinct, subtle and an expression of Visnu." 771 In the Yogasikha Upanisad, the nature of susumna is differently explained as follows: "There are 101 nadis coming from the heart, one of them goes to the head, coming upward by that nadi, one attains the state of immorality, the other nadis going up from all the directions help it. Among the 101 nadis, one is said to be para. Susumna dissolves in the para, which is without any quality and of the nature of Brahman. Ida stands left of susumna, pingala stands right of that, and in-between those two para is placed, one who knows that, he is the real knower of Veda. One should hold prana passing through in the para, and control prana slowly only to become one with them. At the hinder part of anus, there is vinadanda, which sustains the body upto the end of the long bony frame called Brahma-nadi. In the midst of ida and pingala, there is the susumna, which is of the nature of the sun. All the nadis that reach all the parts of body, and spread in all the 770 Yogasikha Upanisad, I. 117-119; Yatha kari karenaiva paniyam prapibet sada Il Usumnavajranalena pavamanam graset tatha I Vajradandasamudbhuta manayascaikavimsati: ll Susumnayam sthita: sarve sutre manigana iva l Cf. Yogasikha Upanisad, V. 17. Moksamarge pratisthana susumna visvarupini ll 771 Sandilya Upanisad I. iv. 10; Tatra susumna visvadharini moksamargeti cacaksate l Gudasya prsthamage vinadandasrita murdhaparyant Brahmarandhreti vijneva vyakta suksama vaisnavi bhavati ll

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190 directions are situated in the susumna. In the midst of that, there are the sun, the moon, the fire and paramesvara. The entire universe is inside the susumna from which all the nadis originate and everything is established. It is the inner soul of all beings. It has its roots upwards and branches downwards. It reaches everywhere by the way of the vital air. There are 72000 nadis which are covered with the vital air. 99772 Yogasikha Upanisad further holds, "When the hamsa (exhalation and inhalation) moves. downwards and upwards through susumna, and one retains prana in the susumna continuously, and the prana of intelligent vogin gets steady by entering the susumna, the moon and sun dissolve in the susumna. One who knows this, having the sense of unity (samarasabhava), he is the real knower of Yoga whose fickle mind is dissolved in the susumna. When the yogin becomes steady with susumna like salt in the water, or when the yogin dissolves in the susumna like water in milk, and the granthi (the knot) is broken, all doubts are cut off and dissolved in the transcendent ether. The yogin then goes to the highest goal. In other words, one who establishes himself in the susumna, is released from all sins and obtains the highest goal. As susumna alone is the sacred place, the most efficacious japa, meditation on susumna alone is supreme, it gives rise to the highest goal. 99773 The locations of nadis in the human body are describedin Yogasikha Upanisad in this way: to the left of susumna is placed ida and to the right is placed pingala, 772 Cf. Yogasikha Upanisad, VI. 4~14. 773 Cf. Yogasikha Upanisad, VI. 35-46.

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191 interwoven with vilambini, spread upto the end of the nadis. The vital air of golden nature flows on the left side through ida. The vital air of the nature of the sun flows on the right side through pingala.774 Sarasvati and kuhu are placed by the two sides of susumna. Gandhara and hastijihva are placed at the rear and front of ida. Pusa and yasasvini are placed at the rear and front of pingala. Between kuhu and hastijihva is placed at visvodara. Between yasasvini and pusa is placed at varuna. Between pusa and sarasvati is said to be yasasvini. Between gandhara and sarasvati is said to be sankhini. Alambusa is stretched up to the anus and reaching the middle of the knot of the navel. To the front of susumna is well placed kuhu. The pingala is placed below and above, stretching as far as the end of the right nostril. Ida is placed at the end of the left nostril. Yasasvini is said to be until the end of the right big toe. Pusa is up to the right eye, having its course at the back of pingala. Payasvini is said to be upto the end of the right ear. Sarasvati goes up to the tongue. Hastijihva is said to be until the end of the left toe. Sankhini is said to extend upto the end of the left ear. Gandhara is said to be the end of the left eye. The nadi named visvodara is fixed in the midst of the knot of the navel.775 The prana flows through these nadis. It is stated that prana reaches the place of kundali through the pingala and ida by the purification of the 771 Cf. Yogasikha Upanisad, V. 18-9. 775 Cf. Darsana Upanisad, IV. 13-23. Dhyanabindu Upanisad, 54-56. Yogacudamanya Upanisad, 18-20. Yogasikha Upanisad, V. 21-27. Varaha Upanisad, V. 22-29. Sandilya Upanisad, I. iv. 11. According to each Yoga-Upanisads, explaining nadis of the names, places and functions are slightly different.

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192 nadis. 776 779 By holding the air as per one's own capacity, enkindling the fire, one experiences manifestation of nada, and freedom freed from diseases, due to purification of nadis. When the cakras of the nadis are purified by the control of prana, the vital air enters easily after opening the mouth of susumna nadi and the like. 777 From the purification of the nadis, the mind gets the state of unmani.778 The method of purification of nadis by which one will become jivanmukta is thus illustrated. When the group of nadis, which is full of dirt, is purified, then yogin is able to control the vital air. Then the yogin attains the lightness of body, blazing fire in the belly by which the food is digested, and the manifestation of nada (mystic sound) as indication of the success. Good health, slimness and luster of the body are also the marks of the purification of nadis. 780 The purification of nadis is even possible by performing actions according to injunctions, devoid of passion and desire, and endowed with the eight limbs of yoga such as yama and so on. Such a person is supposed to have attained the highest goal viz. the truth, residing in his own self and to be one who is properly trained by the men of knowledge. 781 In the above verses, we see that such 776 Cf. Darsana Upanisad, IV. 39-47. Sandilya Upanisad, I. iv. 14. 777 Sandilya Upanisad, I. vii. 8~9; Yathesthadharnam vavoranalasya pradipanam l 779 Nadabhivyaktirarogyam jayate nadisodhanat ll Vidhivat pranasamyamairnadicakre visodhite l Susumnavadanam bhittva sukhadvisati maruta: II 778 Sandilya Upanisad, I. vii; Nadisuddhito manonmanyavasthaprapti: Yogacudamanya Upanisad, 94; Suddhimeti vada sarvam nadicakram malakulam I Tadaiva jayate yogi pranasamgrahanaksama: Il Cf. Darsana Upanisad, V. 11-12. Yogacudamanya Upanisad, 99. Yogatattava Upanisad, 45. Sandilya Upanisad, I. v. 4. 780 781 Darsana Upanisad,V. 2-3; Vidhyuktakarmasamyukta: kamasamkalpavarjita: Il

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193 as asanas (posture), pranayama (control of breath), mudras (seals), bandhas (locks), sat-karmani (six cleansing acts), mitahara (temperance in food) and so on are not excluded from the way of purification of nadis. However, meditating on one's own self and being disciplined in moral virtues is also regarded as essential to purification of the nadis. However it is necessary to practice pulling or filling the nadis such as susumna, pingala and ida with air, even as one meditates on aumkara which covers the row of flame and in the middle of body. 782 Through the ida, one should draw the vital air, retain it, and again empty it (through the other nadi). Then through the pingala inhale the vital air and hold it, and exhale it through the left. Such a process of breaking through the nadis and the sun joining susumna and the like, bursting asunder the 72000 nadis, and going up to the head, it is giver of boons to all beings, and pervades everything. To put it in another way, yogis pierce the solar disc (ida) by the practice of yoga again, secondly they also break through the door way of the susumna nadi which is all bright, opening the entire circle of the cranium (sahasrara-cakra), after which they see that abode (the highest state). 784 783 Cf. Darsana Upanisad, V. 4-10. 782 Yamadyastangasamyukta: santa: satyaparayana: | Svatmanyavasthita: samyak jnanibhisca susiksita: ll Cf. Dhyanabindu Upanisad, 20; Idaya vayumapurya purayitvodarasthitam l Omlaram dehamadhyastham dhyayejjvalavalivrtam ll 783 Brahmavidya Upanisad, 11; Dvisaptatisahastrani nadi bhittva ca murdhani l 784 Varada sarvabhutanam sarvam vyapyeva tistati ll Yogasikha Upanisad, I. 75; Bhindanti yogina: suryam yogabhyasena vai puna: l

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