4.29–30
Chapter 4, Verses 29–30
अपाने जुह्वति प्राण प्राणेऽपानं तथाऽपरे। प्राणापानगती रुद्ध्वा प्राणायामपरायणाः৷৷ अपरे नियताहाराः प्राणान्प्राणेषु जुह्वति। सर्वेऽप्येते यज्ञविदो यज्ञक्षपितकल्मषाः৷৷
apānē juhvati prāṇa prāṇē.pānaṅ tathā.parē. prāṇāpānagatī ruddhvā prāṇāyāmaparāyaṇāḥ৷৷ aparē niyatāhārāḥ prāṇānprāṇēṣu juhvati. sarvē.pyētē yajñavidō yajñakṣapitakalmaṣāḥ৷৷
Translation
Verse 29
There are some who practise control of the Vital Energy and govern the subtle forces of Prana and Apana, thereby sacrificing their Prana unto Apana, or their Apana unto Prana.
Verse 30
Others, controlling their diet, sacrifice their worldly life to the spiritual fire. All understand the principal of sacrifice, and by its means their sins are washed away.
Translation — Purohit Swami
Commentary
Verse 29
अपाने in the outgoing breath, जुह्वति sacrifice, प्राणम् incoming breath, प्राणे in the incoming breath, अपानम् outgoing breath, तथा thus, अपरे others, प्राणापानगती courses of the outgoing and incoming breaths, रुद्ध्वा restraining, प्राणायामपरायणाः solely absorbed in the restraint of breath. Commentary: Some Yogis practise Puraka (inhalation), some Yogis practise Rechaka (exhalation),,and some Yogis practise Kumbhaka (retention of breath).The five subPranas and the other Pranas are merged in the chief Prana (MukhyaPrana) by the practice of Pranayama. When the Prana is controlled, the mind also stops its wanderings and becomes steady the senses are also thinned out and merged in the Prana. It is through the vibration of Prana that the activities of the mind and the senses are kept up. If the Prana is controlled, the mind, the intellect and the senses cease to function.
Verse 30
अपरे other persons, नियताहाराः of regulated food, प्राणान् lif reaths, प्राणेषु in the lif reaths, जुह्वति sacrifice, सर्वे all, अपि also, एते these, यज्ञविदः knowers of sacrifice, यज्ञक्षपितकल्मषाः whose sins are destroyed by sacrifice. Commentary: Niyataharah means persons of regulated or limited food. They take moderate food. By rigid dieting they control the passions and appetites by weakening the functions of the organs of action.Yogis pour the lif reaths as sacrifice in the controlled lif reath. The former becomes merged in the latter.Performance of the above sacrifice leads to the purification of the mind and destruction of sins.
Commentary — Swami Sivananda
Sanskrit and transliteration of the Bhagavad Gita. Corpus compiled from the vedabase and the IIT Kanpur Gita Supersite.