History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c94.280

v7.c94.280

It should be noticed that Patañjali does not require in his definition of prāṇāyāma the mental or inaudible repetition of any syllable like 'om' or any mantra like the Gāyatrī. But the Smṛtis prescribe the practice of prāṇāyāma every day in the Sandhyāvandana. Yāj. (I. 22) prescribes ²³⁷⁰ that a man of the three higher varnas must every day take a bath, perform *mārjana* (sprinkling water with kuśas) with the mantras (Rg. X. 9. 1-3 'āpo hi sthā &c.'), practise prāṇāyāma, worship of the sun and japa of Gāyatrī (Rg. III. 62. 10) and that prāṇāyāma comprises the japa three times of Gāyatrī preceded by the Vyāhṛtis, each being preceded by Om and followed by the Śiras. Prāṇāyāma as described by Yāj. is prescribed even in modern times for the morning and evening Sandhyā adorations. Prāṇāyāma with mental repetition of 'Om' or a 'mantra' is called 'sagarbha' ²³⁷¹ or 'sabīja,' while prāṇāyāma not so accompanied is called ‘agarbha’ or ‘abīja’ and it is said that ‘sagarbha’ is the better of the two. Śāntiparva (304. 9. cr. ed.=Ch. ed. 316. 9–10) speaks of saguṇa and nirguṇa prāṇāyāma. The Yogabhāṣya (on Y. S. II. 52) quotes a passage²³⁷² ‘there is no higher tapas than prāṇāyāma, therefrom arises purification of the taints and knowledge flashes forth.’