Yoga Kundali Upanishad (yogakuṇḍaly upaniṣad) - This Upanishad belongs to the Krishna Yajurveda, has three chapters And the first chapter contains 87 mantras; the second chapter contains 49 mantras; and the last and the third one contains 35 mantras. In all, this Yoga Kundali Upanishad Has 171 mantras. The Upanishad opens beautifully, the first chapter 'Vayur Jayoh' means the importance of gaining mastery over the pranayama. It begins with that. It beautifully says the cause for the mind to operate, means manas chanchalam, the cause for Chitta Vritti - Why is there a Chitta Vritti? Why is there a thought in the mind? The reason for the thought in the mind. In fact, the reason for the mind itself. The reason for the activity of the mind, the cause for the Chitta Vritti. Beautifully the Upanishad puts it: Hetu Dvayam - There are two hetus, two reasons:
hetudvayaṃ hi cittasya vāsanā ca samīraṇaḥ ।
tayorvinaṣṭa ekasmistadvāvapi vinaśyataḥ ॥
Vasanas - tendencies - what we commonly call it as the 'Samskaras'. The deep rooted 'Vasanas', 'Samskaras', the deep imbibed deeply embedded characters - that is the reason. And second one is the flow of Prana: the inhalation and exhalation. By controlling any of one, the other one is controlled and by that the mind is controlled. You see there is a triangle here: the mind, the breathing, and the vasanas. The activity in the mind is because of the movement of the Prana or because of the Vasanas. So by controlling the Vasanas The breathing comes under control; by controlling the breathing, the Vasanas come under the control; by controlling any one the other two are controlled. How beautifully the practice is given. And for the control of the Prana, the Vayu, is the basic one, because that is the easier one. That is how the Upanishad puts it.
'tayorādau samīrasya jayaṃ kuryānnaraḥ sadā।'
It is easier for a Nara to control the breathing, easily. So the practice is emphasized on that: how to gain mastery, regulate, harness, harmonize, synchronize, and slow down the speed of flow of breathing. The Upanishad gives three things: one is Mitaharaha, Asanam, and Shakti Chalanam. Tritiyakam - three methods have been given. Mitahara - then what does Mitahara mean? The Mitha itself is a measurement, meaning measured eating, eating food, eating food in a measured way. And what is the measured way? It gives beautifully...
"eteṣāṃ lakṣaṇaṃ vakṣye śṛṇu gautama sādaram । susnigdhamadhurāhāraścaturthāṃśavivarjitaḥ ॥
bhujyate śivasaṃprītyai mitāhāraḥ sa ucyate।"
—that is, partaking of nourishing, sweet food, good food, enjoyable food. One fourth of it, and half is left for the Vayu and water, and the food is offered to the God. This is exactly what the Hathapradipika also explains in Mitahara.
Then Asanaha. So Mitahara—like this, food should be eaten. Our regular daily intake of food should be like this. It is not that whenever we eat, we should take like this. The entire intake of the food should be like that, whether it is in a day, as per our requirement and necessity. How much food we should take, this specifies.
Then the Asanam, practice of Asanah. The Upanishad emphasizes and gives, mentions only the Padmasana. "āsanaṃ dvividhaṃ proktaṃ padma vajrāsanaṃ tathā॥." Padmasana and Vajrasana—two Asanas have been mentioned.
ūrvopari ceddhatte ubhe pādatale yathā ।
padmāsanaṃ bhavedetatsarvapāpapraṇāśanam॥
Both feet should be put on the other foot's thigh, meaning right foot on left thigh and left foot on right thigh. It doesn't specify which foot should be on the other thigh. It can be right on the left and left on the right, or left on the right and right on the left. It differs.
Similarly, Vajrasanam: "vāmāṅighramūlakandādho hyanyaṃ tadupari kṣipet। samagrīvaśira:kāyo vajrāsanamitīritam॥" means: place the left heel under the buttock, left buttock, and right heel over it. It gets beautifully described in the Vajrasanam in the Yoga Kundali Upanishad is: The left foot is placed under the navel of the Kanda, and the right heel is placed above that. It is something like crossing the right heel, crossing the right ankle on the left ankle, and sitting on it. The neck should be straight. This is the Vajrasana position explained in the Yoga Kundali Upanishad.
Then the Upanishad talks about the Shakti Chalana practice and it gives a beautiful name, Saraswati Chalanam. An explanation is given: what is Shakti Chalana? The rousing of the Saraswati Shakti in the Saraswati Nadi by inhalations and exhalations and the Kumbhaka practices. Then, various types of practices of Pranayama have been explained in the Yoga Kundali Upanishad. Beautiful it is. It says "Pranayama Bhedaha" varieties of the Pranayamas it talks about "prāṇarodhamathedānīṃ pravakṣyāmi samāsataḥ।", then it gives the names of the various Pranayamas:
sūryojjāyī śītalī ca bhastrī caiva caturthikā।
bhedairava samaṃ kumbho yaḥ syātsahitakumbhakaḥ ।।
Then it says, the Upanishad explains the practice of Surya Kumbhaka, Ujjayi Kumbhaka, Shitali Kumbhaka, and Bhastri Kumbhaka or Bhastrika, all to be practiced with Sahita Kumbhaka. With Sahita Kumbhaka, with holding the breath inside, and that is how Sahita Kumbhaka has two meanings, two interpretations. It can be Sahita Kumbhaka, meaning it can be Antara Kumbhaka or Vahya Kumbhaka: after inhalation, holding the breath, and after exhalation, holding the breath. But holding the breath is Sahita Kumbhaka. And the meaning of Sahita also is important. It is to be useful and proportionate. "Hita" means practicing of Kumbhaka should not be troublesome; it should do good. So, how much should be the holding time of the Kumbhaka? It should do good; it should not do harm. And how much, by doing how much it will do good and be useful, that is a description—very important guidance which is to be known. So Sahita is generally interpreted as along with Kumbhaka or after inhalation. That meaning stands, but the more inner and deeper meaning is the practice of Kumbhaka should be useful and it should do good. There is another explanation also: doing Kumbhaka, practicing Kumbhaka, will do good, Sahita. So, various dimensions are to be taken while we practice the Pranayama.
So the Pranayama is explained: the Surya Kumbhaka. It doesn't say Surya Bheda Pranayama or Surya Anuloma Viloma Pranayama. It talks about Surya Kumbhaka. And Surya Kumbhaka means
dakṣanāḍyā samākṛṣya bahiṣṭhaṃ pavanaṃ śanaiḥ ।
yatheṣṭaṃ pūrayedvāyu recayediḍayā tataḥ ॥
The external air has to be inhaled through the right nostril. The name given is Dakshina, Dakshinanadi. And "yatheṣṭaṃ pūrayedvāyu recayediḍayā tataḥ ॥," through Idaya.
How beautifully the Upanishad, to avoid confusion of nomenclature, uses different names. For the right, it uses Dakshina instead of using the word Pingala. For the left, it uses the name Idaya instead of using Vama. This is only because of enhancing or specifying explicitly, specification, explicit specification it is. And how much the air should be inhaled: one should feel the breath of inhalation at the cranium, Kapalaha it calls it. And inhaling like that, then exhale it through the left nostril. And after exhaling through the left nostril, again inhale through the right nostril. So, inhaling with the right nostril and exhaling with the left nostril, and again inhaling with the right nostril and exhaling with the left nostril, and always the length of the breath is to be felt at the cranium, at the Kapalaha. This is the Surya Kumbhaka practice.
Then the Upanishad explains the Ujjayi Kumbhaka. How Ujjayi should be practiced. Ujjayi should be practiced. How it is to be practiced, beautifully it explains:
mukhaṃ saṃyamya nāḍībhyāmākṛṣya pavanaṃ śanaiḥ ॥
yathā lagati kaṇṭhāttu hṛdayāvadhi sasvanam।
pūrvavatkumbhayetprāṇaṃ recayediḍayā tataḥ ॥
śīrṣoṃditānalaharaṃ galaśleṣmaharaṃ param ।
sarvarogaharaṃ puṇyaṃ dehānalavivardhanam ॥
nāḍījalodaraṃ dhātugatadoṣavināśanam।
With the mouth well under control, slowly drawing the air through both the nostrils. Inhalation with the right nostril and the left nostril. Inhalation with both the nostrils, Ida and the Pingala Nadi: "mukhaṃ saṃyamya nāḍībhyām". Both Purakaha and Rechakaha. And that Purakaha is to be with both nostrils, and Rechakaha is to be with the left nostril. And this is how the Ujjayi Pranayama is explained. Very simple: just drop the neck, inhale with both the nostrils, and exhale only with the left nostril. And this practice gives tremendous benefits. That is how the Upanishad puts it and enhances the resistance power against diseases. And this is how Ujjayi is to be practiced—Ujjayi Pranayama it is.
Then the Upanishad gives the Shitali Kumbhaka. Shitali Kumbhaka is: "śanaistu ghrāṇarandhrābhyāṃ recayedanilaṃ sudhīḥ॥ gulmaplīhādikāndoṣānkṣayaṃ pittaṃ jvaraṃ tṛṣām।" Inhale the air, draw the air, take the air through the tongue, and exhale with both the nostrils. Inhalation through the tongue, exhalation with both nostrils. This is the Shitali Kumbhaka, not Shitali Pranayama. Shitali Kumbhaka. You should always remember, Pranayama is a method to experience the Kumbhaka. Pranayama is the tool for the experience of Kumbhaka. Pranayama is the technique and the method and the tool to achieve the Kumbhaka. So, Shitali Kumbhaka is the Kumbhaka which is achieved by the practice of inhalation and exhalation the way it is explained in Shitali Kumbhaka practice. That is, inhaling through the tongue, and exhaling through both the nostrils. This is the Shitali Kumbhaka.
Then the Bhastrika Kumbhaka is explained beautifully. One has to sit in the Padmasana and exhale the vital air, the prana, through the nostrils and control the effort at the mouth level in such a way that it occupies the sound, the cranium from the throat. You should fill in a little air up, then exhale again and again. Continuous inhalations and exhalations with thoracic activity, Hridaya, at the chest level, and avoiding the movements of the body. Then the air will be moving throughout the whole body, and this wakes up the kundalini. This is how the Yoga Kundali Upanishad explains the Bhastrika Pranayama. So, continuous inhalations and exhalations, sitting in Padmasana, body kept straight and balanced, aligned properly. Properly aligned and balanced sitting posture of the Padmasana, inhalations and exhalations which are very active and feeling it at the Hridaya level. And that is how the Bhastrika Kumbhaka is to be practiced.
Then the Yoga Kundali Upanishad explains the standard Bandhatrayas: the Moola Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha, and the Jalandhara Bandha.
Moola Bandha is explained as all of us are aware. It is a constriction of the anal sphincters where the apana goes out. This is called the Moola Bandha, constriction of the sphincters where apana gets released. That is the Moola Bandha.
Then the practice of Uddiyana Bandha. Uddiyana Bandha is the practice exclusively explained by the Yoga Kundali Upanishad. It is to be practiced in the Paschimottanasana. It specifies which asana it should be practiced. It puts it beautifully:
gulphadeśasamīpe ca kandaṃ tatra prapīḍayet।
paścimaṃ tāṇamudare dhārayedaye gale॥
śanaiḥ śanairyadā prāṇastundasandhiṃ nigacchati।
tundadoṣaṃ vinirdheya kartavyaṃ satataṃ śanaiḥ॥
So, one should practice the Uddiyana Bandha in Paschimottanasana. It is very useful, but the Upanishad also specifies and gives that it can be done in the Vajrasana.
tasmāduḍḍīyaṇākhyo'yaṃ yogibhiḥ samudāhṛtaḥ।
sati vajrāsane pādau karābhyāṃ dhārayedaḍham॥
In sitting in Vajrasana, firmly holding with two hands, two feet, means hold the feet in Vajrasana and then practice the Uddiyana Bandha. Then the Paschimottanasana. So, the interpretation and normal understanding of the Ujjana Bandha is the practice of Ujjana Bandha in Vajrasana and the practice of Ujjana Bandha in Paschimottanasana. Two ways, two methods of practicing the Uddiyana Bandha. There is also an understanding saying that the Uddiyana Bandha is to be practiced in Paschimottanasana after holding the ankles with the palms.
Then the Upanishad describes the Jalandhara Bandha, locking the throat by pressing the chin against the chest at the Kanta Kupa, at the throat, and then holding the breath. And the Upanishad also gives it, this when constriction of the throat is made, and the importance of the rise of the energy within moves into the Brahmanadihi. That is how it beautifully explains: "madhye paścimatāṇena syātprāṇo brahmanāḍigaḥ ॥" The Prana rises from the center and moves upwards by the practice of Jalandhara Bandha. It is this, and this is an important dimension.
Then the Upanishad talks about Abhyasaha Kumbhaka Sankhya Niyamaha. The practice of Upanishad, the practice of Kumbhaka, Sankhya is given:
prathame divase kāryaṃ kumbhakānāṃ catuṣṭayam।
pratyekaṃ daśasaṃkhyākaṃ dvitīye pañcabhistathā ॥
viṃśatyalaṃ tṛtīye'hni pañcavṛddhyā dinedine ।
kartavyaḥ kumbhako nityaṃ bandhatrayasamanvitaḥ ।।
The Upanishad, the Yoga Kundali Upanishad, specifies the time of holding the breath or the number of times the Kumbhakas are to be practiced. You should remember this very beautifully. The Upanishad gives the practice of the Kumbhakas explained above: that is the Surya Kumbhaka, Shitali Kumbhaka, Bhastrika Kumbhaka are to be practiced with specific timing. The Upanishad specifies these four Kumbhakas - the Shitali, Ujjayi, Bhastrika, and Surya Kumbhaka. In all these four Kumbhakas - Surya Kumbhaka, Ujjayi Kumbhaka, Shitali Kumbhaka, then Bhastrika Kumbhaka - are to be practiced every day.
On the first day, ten times each one: ten times Surya Kumbhaka, ten times Ujjayi Kumbhaka, ten times Shitali Kumbhaka, ten times Bhastrika Kumbhaka.
Next day, the second day, five times should be added, fifteen and fifteen. Third day, five more to be added, twenty, like that every day progressively add five rounds each one. It's a very important practice. All the four are to be practiced, and each one, the number of rounds has to be enhanced five times.
What an amount of practice the Yoga Kundali Upanishad specified instructs a person in the practice of Pranayama or in the Kumbhaka. Many people interpret it that it is not all the four are to be practiced five times, five rounds of addition every day. Each practice alone five rounds is sufficient. But Upanishad is very clear. It mentions very clearly that it is to be all the four. All the four are to be "pūrvoktena krameṇaiva samyagāsanamāsthitaḥ।" - Kramenaiva, in the serial order it is. So, that is how the Yoga Kundali Upanishad specifies the number of rounds of these four Kumbhakas are to be practiced - the Shitali, Ujjayi, Bhastrika, and the Surya Kumbhaka.
Then the Upanishad explains the various dimensions of the Keshari Mudra. The entire second chapter is full of Keshari Mudra. The 49 mantras talk only about the Keshari practice. The entire second chapter of the Yoga Kundali Upanishad is completely dedicated to the Keshari practice, explained in detail with full explanations. There is no other yoga text or yoga Shastra which gives a complete, in-detail explanation of the Keshari Vidya as given in the second chapter of the Yoga Kundali Upanishad, with 49 mantras. It's a beauty to go to and study the entire practice given in the second chapter of the Yoga Kundali Upanishad.
Then the third chapter is called as the Melana Mantra. Very beautifully the Upanishad explains Melana Mantra, how do we conjoin, how do we incorporate the practices, the difference in seeing. How do we see, when we are seeing, when we are perceiving. This is Melana Mantra, it is called. Beautifully the Upanishad says Amavasya, Pournami and Pratipada, the first one after the Amavasya. It says that closing the eyes is Amavasya, darkness. Closing the eyes a little bit, about to close or about to open. This is Pratipada, first one.
Generally Pratipada is understood as the first day after Amavasya. But that first day means a little opening. So that little opening after Amavasya and little opening left off before the Amavasya. That is the, the Upanishad beautifully describes that one. That is the Pratipada is the eyes, half closed eyes. Or just about to close or just about to open. That is the Pratipada it is. Purnami is the eyes fully opened. And this Amavasya, Pratipada and Pournami has also been given, explained imaginary, symbolically by the Upanishad: Amavasyaha - eyes are shut. Means the entire person, the human nature, entire human character is shut off. From the external world, it is cut off. And the Pratipada is slightly open, just slightly open. And slightly open to see or just about to close. Only little bit open, about to be closed. This is the Pratipada, to the world. And the Pournami is the eyes are fully opened and the person is completely aware of the external. This also the Upanishad explains. The Purnami or the Jagrata Avasthaha, Pratipada or the Swapna Avasthaha and Amavasya is the Sushupti Avasthaha it is. That is how the Upanishad brilliantly gives a nice imagery for the meditation.
It explains at the end of the closing of the Upanishad it gives it, it is like the light covered with the pot with holes. A pot with holes. The light placed inside a pot with holes. We can just imagine a lamp is there, a burning lamp. And that burning lamp is covered with the pot having holes. From every hole of the pot the light is illuminated. The light comes out. Every ray, every light which is coming out of the hole of the pot seems to be different. As we see different lights are coming from the holes of the pot. But all the source of these different lights seemingly coming out of the different holes of the pot, the source is one and the same. The Upanishad gives beautifully. The entire body and its activities are like the one, only the illuminating Atman within. Once the pot is broken or removed, the light remains as it is. And once the light is removed, the pot is there without light. A beautiful explanation and imagery is given. And for the light to manifest itself, the pot has to be broken. This is another important dimension of the Yoga Kundali Upanishad. How the importance of the body and the Atman within inside. That is why the Upanishad explains Jeevan Mukthi and Videha Mukthi. It gives it beautifully. What is Jeevan Mukthi and what is Videha Mukthi?
dhyāyannāste muniścaivamāsupterāmṛtestu yaḥ।
jīvanmuktaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa dhanyaḥ kṛtakṛtyavān॥
It is Jeevan Mukthi. And Videha Mukthi:
jīvanmuktapadaṃ tyaktvā svadehe kālasātkṛte।
viśatyadehamuktatvaṃ pavano'spandatāmiva॥
And that is how the importance of Jeevan Mukthi and Videha Mukthi has been described at the end of the Yoga Kundali Upanishad belonging to the Krishna Yajurveda, having three chapters and 171 brilliant masterly mantras explaining the various types of Pranayamas, Kumbhakas, Mithaharaha, Bandhas. The Upanishad also talks about the importance of practicing the Pratyahara and also the various dimensions. Let us conclude here. Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti:
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मुक्तसंग्ङोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित:।
सिद्धयसिद्धयोर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥१८.२६॥
Freed from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with courage and enthusiasm and unperturbed by success or failure, the worker is known as a pure (Sattvika) one. Four outstanding and essential qualities of a worker. - Bhagwad Gita : XVIII-26
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