Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā / 4.96 The mind as mercury
4.96
Haṭha (हठ) Yoga Pradīpikā (प्रदीपिका)
बद्धं विमुक्तचाञ्चल्यं नादगन्धकजारणात् ।
मनःपारदमाप्नोति निरालम्बाख्यखेऽटनम् baddhaṃ vimuktacāñcalyaṃ nādagandhakajāraṇāt |
manaḥpāradam āpnoti nirālambākhyakhe'ṭanam
The line
Bound, its restlessness released, from the calcining of the sulphur of nāda (नाद), the mind obtains the mercury's roaming in the sky called the supportless.
नेपालीमा
नादको गन्धकको जारणबाट बाँधिएको र चञ्चलता छुटेको मनले निरालम्ब भनिने आकाशमा पारदको घुमाइ पाउँछ।
Where it sits
An alchemical image. Gandhaka (गन्धक) is sulphur, pārada (पारद) mercury. Nāda (नाद) is the sulphur that binds the mercury of the mind. The roaming is in the supportless sky.
Split: baddhaṃ (बद्धं) vimukta (विमुक्त) + cāñcalyaṃ (चाञ्चल्यं) nāda (नाद) + gandhaka (गन्धक) + jāraṇāt (जारणात्) / manaḥ (मनः) + pāradam (पारदम्) āpnoti (आप्नोति) nirālambākhya (निरालम्बाख्य) + khe'ṭanam (खेऽटनम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| baddhaṃ (बद्धं) | nominative or accusative singular | bound. |
| vimukta-cāñcalyaṃ (विमुक्त-चाञ्चल्यं) | nominative or accusative singular | freed; fickleness. |
| nāda-gandhaka-jāraṇāt (नाद-गन्धक-जारणात्) | ablative singular | the sound; sulphur; calcination. The alchemical image. |
| manaḥ-pāradam (मनः-पारदम्) | nominative or accusative singular | mind. manaḥ (मनः) before a vowel in sandhi, or the stem; mercury. |
| āpnoti (आप्नोति) | form in the line | obtains. |
| nirālambākhya-khe'ṭanam (निरालम्बाख्य-खेऽटनम्) | nominative or accusative singular | as this verse uses the word. |
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. Bound, its restlessness released, from the calcining of the sulphur of nāda (नाद), the mind obtains the mercury's roaming in the sky called the supportless.