Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā / 2.35 Kapālabhāti, the bellows
2.35
Haṭha (हठ) Yoga Pradīpikā (प्रदीपिका)
भस्त्रावल् लोहकारस्य रेचपूरौ ससम्भ्रमौ ।
कपालभातिर् विख्याता कफदोषविशोषणी bhastrāval lohakārasya recapūrau sasambhramau |
kapālabhātir vikhyātā kaphadoṣaviśoṣaṇī
The line
The emptying and the filling, hurried, like a smith's bellows: this is famed as kapālabhāti (कपालभाति), the drier of the phlegm doṣa (दोष).
नेपालीमा
लोहारको धौंकनीझैँ हतारमा खाली गर्नु र भर्नु कपालभाति भनेर प्रसिद्ध छ, जसले कफ दोष सुकाउँछ।
Where it sits
Kapāla (कपाल) is the skull. The bellows returns as the kumbhaka (कुम्भक) called bhastrikā (भस्त्रिका) at 2.59. Here it is one of the six acts.
Split: bhastrāval (भस्त्रावल्) loha (लोह) + kārasya (कारस्य) reca (रेच) + pūrau (पूरौ) sasambhramau (ससम्भ्रमौ) / kapālabhātir (कपालभातिर्) vikhyātā (विख्याता) kapha (कफ) + doṣa (दोष) + viśoṣaṇī (विशोषणी)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| bhastrāval (भस्त्रावल्) | form in the line | as this verse uses the word. |
| loha-kārasya (लोह-कारस्य) | genitive singular | iron; a maker. lohakāra (लोहकार) is a blacksmith. |
| reca-pūrau (रेच-पूरौ) | dual, nominative or accusative | the out-breath; to fill. |
| sasambhramau (ससम्भ्रमौ) | dual, nominative or accusative | as this verse uses the word. |
| kapālabhātir (कपालभातिर्) | form in the line | kapālabhāti (कपालभाति). The skull-shining breath. |
| vikhyātā (विख्याता) | nominative singular | famous. |
| kapha-doṣa-viśoṣaṇī (कफ-दोष-विशोषणी) | nominative singular | kapha. The phlegm humor; fault; drying up. |
Sanskrit in this line
The quarters run 16, 16 syllables. A hyphen in the split is a compound joint, a teaching mark, and the voice joins it.
Say it back
Cover the English and say the verse in one sentence. The emptying and the filling, hurried, like a smith's bellows: this is famed as kapālabhāti (कपालभाति), the drier of the phlegm doṣa (दोष).