The Winds and the Fire in the Body

Verse 1 (12.183.1)

पार्थिवं धातुमाश्रित्य शारीरोऽग्निः कथं भवेत् । अवकाशविशेषेण कथं वर्तयतेऽनिलः ॥

pārthivaṃ dhātumāśritya śārīro'gniḥ kathaṃ bhavet | avakāśaviśeṣeṇa kathaṃ vartayate'nilaḥ

Having taken hold of the earthy element, how does the fire of the body come to be? And how does the wind move through its particular hollows?

Verse 2 (12.183.2)

वायोर्गतिमहं ब्रह्मन्कीर्तयिष्यामि तेऽनघ । प्राणिनामनिलो देहान्यथा चेष्टयते बली ॥

vāyorgatimahaṃ brahmankīrtayiṣyāmi te'nagha | prāṇināmanilo dehānyathā ceṣṭayate balī

I shall tell you, O brahmin, the course of the wind, O sinless one: how the mighty wind sets the bodies of living beings in action.

Verse 3 (12.183.3)

श्रितो मूर्धानमग्निस्तु शरीरं परिपालयन् । प्राणो मूर्धनि चाग्नौ च वर्तमानो विचेष्टते ॥

śrito mūrdhānamagnistu śarīraṃ paripālayan | prāṇo mūrdhani cāgnau ca vartamāno viceṣṭate

Fire dwells in the head, guarding the body; prana, present in the head and in the fire, sets it in action.

Note on the text: Corrected विचेष्टने → विचेष्टते (misprint in Wikisource; the critical edition reads viceṣṭate).

Verse 4 (12.183.4)

स जन्तुः सर्वभूतात्मा पुरुषः स सनातनः । मनो बुद्धिरहंकारो भूतानि विषयाश्च सः ॥

sa jantuḥ sarvabhūtātmā puruṣaḥ sa sanātanaḥ | mano buddhirahaṃkāro bhūtāni viṣayāśca saḥ

That is the creature, the self of all beings, the eternal Person; he is mind, intellect, ego, the elements and the objects of the senses.

Verse 5 (12.183.5)

एवं त्विह स सर्वत्र प्राणेन परिपाल्यते । कोष्ठतस्तु समानेन स्वां स्वां गतिमुपाश्रितः ॥

evaṃ tviha sa sarvatra prāṇena paripālyate | koṣṭhatastu samānena svāṃ svāṃ gatimupāśritaḥ

Thus he is guarded everywhere here by prana, and in the abdomen by samana, each following its own course.

Verse 6 (12.183.6)

वस्तिमूलं गुदं चैव पावकं समुपाश्रितः । वहन्मूत्रं पुरीषं चाप्यपानः परिवर्तते ॥

vastimūlaṃ gudaṃ caiva pāvakaṃ samupāśritaḥ | vahanmūtraṃ purīṣaṃ cāpyapānaḥ parivartate

Resting at the root of the bladder, at the anus and in the fire, apana moves about, carrying off urine and excrement.

Verse 7 (12.183.7)

प्रयत्ने कर्मणि बले य एकस्त्रिषु वर्तते । उदान इति तं प्राहुरध्यात्मकुशला जनाः ॥

prayatne karmaṇi bale ya ekastriṣu vartate | udāna iti taṃ prāhuradhyātmakuśalā janāḥ

That which alone works in three, in effort, in action and in strength, the people skilled in the knowledge of the self call udana.

Verse 8 (12.183.8)

संधिष्वपि च सर्वेषु सन्निविष्टस्तथाऽनिलः । शरीरेषु मनुष्याणां व्यान इत्युपदिश्यते ॥

saṃdhiṣvapi ca sarveṣu sanniviṣṭastathā'nilaḥ | śarīreṣu manuṣyāṇāṃ vyāna ityupadiśyate

The wind that has lodged in all the joints of the bodies of men is taught to be vyana.

Verse 9 (12.183.9)

धातुष्वग्निस्तु विततः समानोऽग्निः समीरितः । रसान्धातूंश्च दोषांश्च वर्तयन्नवतिष्ठते ॥

dhātuṣvagnistu vitataḥ samāno'gniḥ samīritaḥ | rasāndhātūṃśca doṣāṃśca vartayannavatiṣṭhate

The fire spread through the tissues is called samana; it stays there, keeping the juices, the tissues and the humours in motion.

Verse 10 (12.183.10)

अपानप्राणयोर्मध्ये प्राणापानसमाहितः । समन्वितस्त्वधिष्ठानं सम्यक्पचति पावकः ॥

apānaprāṇayormadhye prāṇāpānasamāhitaḥ | samanvitastvadhiṣṭhānaṃ samyakpacati pāvakaḥ

Standing between apana and prana, held by prana and apana, and joined with them, the fire digests well in its seat.

Verse 11 (12.183.11)

आस्यं हि पायुसंयुक्तमन्ते स्याद्गुदसंज्ञितम् । स्रोतस्तस्मात्प्रजायन्ते सर्वस्रोतांसि देहिनाम् ॥

āsyaṃ hi pāyusaṃyuktamante syādgudasaṃjñitam | srotastasmātprajāyante sarvasrotāṃsi dehinām

The mouth is joined with the outlet below, and at the end of it is what is called the anus; from it spring all the channels of embodied beings.

Verse 12 (12.183.12)

प्राणानां सन्निपाताच्च सन्निपातः प्रजायते । ऊष्मा सोऽग्निरिति ज्ञेयो योऽन्नं पचति देहिनाम् ॥

prāṇānāṃ sannipātācca sannipātaḥ prajāyate | ūṣmā so'gniriti jñeyo yo'nnaṃ pacati dehinām

From the meeting of the breaths a heat is produced. That heat is to be known as the fire which cooks the food of embodied beings.

Note on the text: Corrected सोग्निरिति → सोऽग्निरिति (misprint in Wikisource; missing avagraha; compare the critical edition cāgnir iti).

Verse 13 (12.183.13)

अग्निवेगवहः प्राणो गुदान्ते प्रतिहन्यते । स ऊर्ध्वमागम्य पुनः समुत्क्षिपति पावकम् ॥

agnivegavahaḥ prāṇo gudānte pratihanyate | sa ūrdhvamāgamya punaḥ samutkṣipati pāvakam

Prana, carrying the force of the fire, is struck back at the end of the anus; it comes up again and sets the fire blazing.

Verse 14 (12.183.14)

पक्वाशयस्त्वधो नाभ्या ऊर्ध्वमामाशयः स्मृतः । नाभिमध्ये शरीरस्य सर्वे प्राणाः समाश्रिताः ॥

pakvāśayastvadho nābhyā ūrdhvamāmāśayaḥ smṛtaḥ | nābhimadhye śarīrasya sarve prāṇāḥ samāśritāḥ

The seat of digested food lies below the navel, and the seat of undigested food above it; in the middle of the navel, in the body, all the breaths are gathered.

Verse 15 (12.183.15)

प्रसृता हृदयात्सर्वास्तिर्यगूर्ध्वमधस्तथा । वहन्त्यन्नरसान्नाड्यो दशप्राणप्रचोदिताः ॥

prasṛtā hṛdayātsarvāstiryagūrdhvamadhastathā | vahantyannarasānnāḍyo daśaprāṇapracoditāḥ

Spreading out from the heart in every direction, crosswise, upward and downward, the channels, urged on by the ten breaths, carry the juices of the food.

Verse 16 (12.183.16)

एष मार्गोऽथ योगानां येन गच्छन्ति तत्पदम् । जितक्लमासना धीरा मूर्धन्यात्मानमादधन् ॥

eṣa mārgo'tha yogānāṃ yena gacchanti tatpadam | jitaklamāsanā dhīrā mūrdhanyātmānamādadhan

This is the path of the yogins by which they reach that state: the steadfast, who have mastered weariness and posture, set the self in the crown of the head.

Note on the text: Corrected सूर्धन्य → मूर्धन्य (misprint in Wikisource; सूर्धन् is not a word; the critical edition reads mūrdhany ātmānam).

Verse 17 (12.183.17)

एवं सर्वेषु विहितः प्राणापानेषु देहिनाम् । तस्मिन्योऽवस्थितो नित्यमग्निः स्थाल्यामिवाहितः ॥

evaṃ sarveṣu vihitaḥ prāṇāpāneṣu dehinām | tasminyo'vasthito nityamagniḥ sthālyāmivāhitaḥ

Thus it is arranged in all the breaths, prana and apana, of embodied beings; and the fire that always dwells in it is like fire set in a pot.