Bhastrika Kumbhaka

TYPE

1)Technique

2)Pranayama

PRAMANA

Āpta Pramāṇa - आप्त प्रमाण

Apta Pramana Source

1)Hathatatvakaumudi (Chapter 10, Verse 12-13)

2)Hathatatvakaumudi (Chapter 10, Verse 14)

3)Kumbhaka Paddadhi 164-166

Original Verse

1)

"स्थित्वाब्जे समकन्धरोदरतनुः संयम्य यत्नान् मुखं

घ्राणेनाशु सुपूर्य संश्लिषति हृकण्ठे कपालावधि ॥

सम्यग् धृतं यया विरिच्य पुनरप्यापूर्य वेगादनु

हृत्य प्रावधि केवलं पुनरपि त्यक्त्वा पुनः पूरयेत् ॥ १२ ॥

इत्थं शश्वदुपाचरेदिति यथा भस्त्रेव सञ्चालयेद्

देहस्थं पवनं तथैव मतिना सञ्चालयेद् बुद्धिमान् ॥

श्रानित्ः स्याद् तु यदा तदा निजतनौ सूर्येण संरेचयेत्

पूर्णं स्वोदरमाकलय्य मरुता मन्दं तथा पूरयेत् ॥ १३ ॥"

2)

"नासामध्यममन्तरेण सुदृढं सतर्जनीह्य्बां ततः

कुम्भं पूर्ववदावीधाय पवनं तं रेचयेद्वामया |

भस्त्राख्यः कह्लु कुम्भकः स्यति कफं पित्तं समीरं

सुषुम्णाङ्गस्थं दुःकफमग्निदस्त्रिगुणज-ग्रन्थित्रयोद्भेदकः ॥ १४ ॥"

3)

"भस्त्रेव लोह-कारस्य रेच-पूरौ श्रमावधि |

वेगेन स्तनयोर्-ऊर्ध्वं ततः पूरोऽर्क-वर्त्मना ॥ १६४ ॥

जालन्धरं दृढं बद्ध्वा कुम्भितं चन्द्र-वर्त्मना ॥

रेचयेद् भस्त्रिका-कुम्भः शरीराग्नि-विवर्धनः ॥ १६५ ॥

वात-पित्त-कफ-हृत्-कज-वातं हन्ति गीर्-मुख-कपाटम्-अमोघः |

शक्तिबोध-जनकस्-त्रितयात्म-ग्रन्थि-निपुणह् सुखदोऽयम् ॥ १६६ ॥"

Transliteration

1)

"sthitvābje samakandharodaratanuḥ saṃyamya yatnān mukhaṃ

ghrāṇenāśu supūrya saṃśliṣati hṛkaṇṭhe kapālāvadhi ॥

samyag dhṛtaṃ yayā viricya punarapyāpūrya vegādanu

hṛtya prāvadhi kevalaṃ punarapi tyaktvā punaḥ pūrayet ॥ 12 ॥

itthaṃ śaśvadupācarediti yathā bhastreva sañcālayed

dehasthaṃ pavanaṃ tathaiva matinā sañcālayed buddhimān ॥

śrānitḥ syād tu yadā tadā nijatanau sūryeṇa saṃrecayet

pūrṇaṃ svodaramākalayya marutā mandaṃ tathā pūrayet ॥ 13 ॥"

2)

"nāsāmadhyamamantareṇa sudṛḍhaṃ satarjanīhybāṃ tataḥ kumbhaṃ pūrvavadāvīdhāya pavanaṃ taṃ recayedvāmayā |

bhastrākhyaḥ kahlu Kumbhakaḥ syati kaphaṃ pittaṃ samīraṃ suṣumṇāṅgasthaṃ duḥkaphamagnidastriguṇaja-granthitrayodbhedakaḥ ॥ 14 ॥"

3)

"bhastreva loha-kārasya reca-pūrau śramāvadhi |

vegena stanayor-ūrdhvaṃ tataḥ pūro'rka-vartmanā ॥ 164 ॥

jālandharaṃ dṛḍhaṃ baddhvā kumbhitaṃ candra-vartmanā ॥ recayed bhastrikā-kumbhaḥ śarīrāgni-vivardhanaḥ ॥ 165 ॥

vāta-pitta-kapha-hṛt-kaja-vātaṃ hanti gīr-mukha-kapāṭam-amoghaḥ |

śaktibodha-janakas-tritayātma-granthi-nipuṇah sukhado'yam ॥ 166 ॥"

Translation

1)

"Adopt padmasana and keep the shoulders, abdomen and the trunk erect. Carefully keep the mouth closed. Rapidly inhale through the nostrils making a friction from the heart (chest), throat and upto the forehead and hold to the capacity. Again rapidly inhale with the same nostril through which exhaled, upto the chest with force and again exhale and inhale repeatedly.

In this manner, a wise should practise it continuously, moving the bodily air like a bellows with full attention. When tired, the wise should exhale through right nostril and then slowly fill up the whole cavity with air fully."

2)

"Then holding the nostrils firmly with fingers (index) one should retain the air as said before and then exhale through the left nostril. This is Bhastra Kumbhaka. This removes the disorders caused by the phlegm, bile (pitta) and air (vata) and also the tough phlegmatic obstructions in the susumna. This enhances (bodily) fire, brings (balance among) the three gunas by piercing through the three granthis."

3)

One should exhale and inhale like the bellows of a blacksmith until fatigue sets in. Then he should rapidly inhale through the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril, after holding the breath performing Jālandhara-bandha. It is Bhastrikā-Kumbhaka. This increases bodily heat and removes disorders of the three humours called vāta, pitta, kapha. One becomes proficient in speech and learning and gets Kuṇḍalinī aroused which pierces the three knots and bestows happiness.