Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā / 2.38 The elephant act
2.38
Haṭha (हठ) Yoga Pradīpikā (प्रदीपिका)
उदरगतपदार्थमुद्वमन्ति पवनमपानमुदीर्य कण्ठनाले ।
क्रमपरिचयवश्यनाडिचक्रा गजकरणीति निगद्यते हठज्ञैः udaragatapadārtham udvamanti pavanam apānam udīrya kaṇṭhanāle |
kramaparicayavaśyanāḍicakrā gajakaraṇīti nigadyate haṭhajñaiḥ
The line
Raising the apāna (अपान) wind, they vomit the matter that is in the belly through the tube of the throat. Those who know haṭha (हठ), their channel-wheel mastered by gradual acquaintance, call this the elephant act.
नेपालीमा
अपान वायु उठाएर उनीहरू पेटको पदार्थ कण्ठको नलीबाट वमन गर्छन्। क्रमिक परिचयले नाडीचक्र वशमा पारेका हठ जान्नेहरू यसलाई गजकर्म भन्छन्।
Where it sits
Gajakaraṇī (गजकरणी) is the elephant's act. It stands after the six, as a further act the verse names.
Split: udara (उदर) + gata (गत) + padārtham (पदार्थम्) udvamanti (उद्वमन्ति) pavanam (पवनम्) apānam (अपानम्) udīrya (उदीर्य) kaṇṭha (कण्ठ) + nāle (नाले) / krama (क्रम) + paricaya (परिचय) + vaśya (वश्य) + nāḍi (नाडि) + cakrā (चक्रा) gaja (गज) + karaṇīti (करणीति) nigadyate (निगद्यते) haṭhajñaiḥ (हठज्ञैः)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| udara-gata-padārtham (उदर-गत-पदार्थम्) | nominative or accusative singular | the belly; gone; a thing. Here, what is in the belly. |
| udvamanti (उद्वमन्ति) | present | as this verse uses the word. |
| pavanam (पवनम्) | nominative or accusative singular | the wind. |
| apānam (अपानम्) | nominative or accusative singular | apāna (अपान). The downward breath. |
| udīrya (उदीर्य) | form in the line | having driven up. |
| kaṇṭha-nāle (कण्ठ-नाले) | locative singular, or a sandhi of the nominative | the throat; a tube. |
| krama-paricaya-vaśya-nāḍi-cakrā (क्रम-परिचय-वश्य-नाडि-चक्रा) | nominative singular | the sequence; familiarity; mastered; a channel. The stem; a wheel. |
| gaja-karaṇīti (गज-करणीति) | present | an elephant. |
| nigadyate (निगद्यते) | present | is called. |
| haṭhajñaiḥ (हठज्ञैः) | instrumental plural | one who knows haṭha (हठ). |
Sanskrit in this line
The quarters run 25, 25 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. Raising the apāna (अपान) wind, they vomit the matter that is in the belly through the tube of the throat. Those who know haṭha (हठ), their channel-wheel mastered by gradual acquaintance, call this the elephant act.