question on recaka-pUraka-kumbhaka

Kengo Harimoto kharimot at SAS.UPENN.EDU
Thu Jan 4 11:41:57 UTC 2001


Hello List,

There are two published texts on yoga ascribed to Yaaj~navalkya:

- The Yogayaaj~navalkya (published as TSS 134)

- The B.rhadyogiyaaj~navalkyasm.rti (ed. by Swami Kuvalayananda and
Pandit Raghunathashastri Kokaje, published by The Kaivalyadharma
S. M. Y. M. Samiti, Poona 1976)

Despite similar titles, (note the difference between yoga- and yogi-)
these two texts do not seem to be related to each other.  That is, the
B.rhadyogiyaaj~navalkyasm.rti is not an expanded version of the
Yogayaaj~navalkya.

Vaacaspati quotes a verse from a text called the
Yogiyaaj~navalkyasm.rti in his commentary on Yogasuutra 1.1.  This
verse exists in the B.rhadyogiyaaj~navalkyasm.rti, not in the
Yogayaaj~navalkya.

Unfortunately, currently I do not have access to these texts.  So, I
cannot check if they use the term puuraka, recaka, and kumbhaka.

BTW, the commentary (vivara.na) on the Yogabhaa.sya ascribed to
'Sa"nkara mentions puuraka and recaka as the terms used by others,
i.e., not in the Paata~njalayoga"saastra.

Hauer thought the technique later known as puuraka, recaka, kumbhaka
dates all the way back to the Atharvaveda. (Die Anfaenge der
Yogapraxis im alten Indien, pp. 11-3)

--
kengo





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