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Part 1 of description of the essence of pranayama in sutras 2.49-53 and 1.41 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated and with commentary by Vasyl Vernyhora
2.49. When this (tasmin) is accomplished (sati), [there follows] pranayama (prāṇāyāma), [which] is the suspension (viccheda) of the flow (gati) of inhalation (śvāsa) and exhalation (praśvāsa).
2.50. The external (bāhya), internal (ābhyantara) and motionless (stambha) manifestations (vṛtti) [of prāṇāyāma] are observed (paridṛṣṭa) in accordance with space (deśa), time (kāla) and number (saṅkhyā), [when it becomes through practice] continuous (dīrgha) and subtle (sūkṣma, in a subtle form).
2.51. The fourth (caturtha) [type/manifestation of prāṇāyāma] goes beyond (ākṣepī) the sphere of influence (viṣaya) of external (bāhya) and internal (ābhyantara) [manifestations].
2.52. By this (tatas) the veil (āvaraṇa) over the all-pervading radiance (prakāśa) goes away (kṣīyate, "weakens", "disappears").
2.53. In this way (ca) the mind (manas) becomes fit (yogyatā) for concentration practices (dhāraṇāsu).
The text of these sutras also appears inconsistent, and it is not only that pranayama is discussed in detail here after sutras 2.45 and 2.47-48, which speak of samadhi and one of the results of its already seemingly completed practice (2.48).
The word "pranayama" (prāṇāyāma) in modern Sanskrit means "restraint of prana" or "control of prana".
The word "yāma" (याम, yAma), with its long first vowel "a," is a Sanskrit technical term corresponding to three hours (1/8 of a day and night combined; see also "yAma" in Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary, 1899: "A night-watch, period or watch of 3 hours, the 8th part of a day", ID=171153), used, in particular, in the literature of rasashastra (medical "alchemy"*) in texts such as the Rasaprakāśasudhākara (written in the 13th century by Yaśodhara Bhaṭṭa) and the Rasaratna-samuccaya (written by Vagbhaṭācārya circa 13th-16th centuries), and also in Manu-smṛti and Mahābhārata. It's worth noting here that in the name of the god Yama, the god of death, and in the name of the first part of the eight-limbed yoga, the Sanskrit word "yama" (यम, "control", "self-control") has both vowels "a" short.
* It may also be worth noting here in passing that the real alchemy hidden behind the allegorical descriptions of the alchemists, which later became cargo cults, may have been based on achieving three-hour duration of samadhi, rather than on snake broths (which could symbolize kundalini) and dangerous chemical experiments with mercury, which could merely symbolize the increased pliability (plasticity) of mind (kāya-mudutā) achieved through the practice of samadhi.
Separately, it's worth noting that in the Sanskrit word prāṇāyāma, the second vowel "a" is long, although in the separate Sanskrit word "prana" (प्राण, prāṇa), the second vowel "a" is short. A long "a" can be formed by merging (according to the Sanskrit rule of sandhi) a short "a" and a long "a", and this will be discussed in more detail in the section reviewing sutra 1.17, where it is crucial for reconstructing the original meaning of that sutra. Here, we can briefly note that the long "a" at the beginning of a word (as opposed to the short "a" there, which denotes negation) can give it the meanings of "completely", "all around", "filled", and also convey the meaning of the prepositions "to", "upto". Thus, if we restore the original parts of the Sanskrit word prāṇāyāma to prāṇa-āyāma, which does not contradict the rules of Sanskrit, then this Sanskrit word can be interpreted as "the movement of energy (prana), the duration of which is brought to three hours/a full three hours".
In the "Lamrim" ("stages of the path" in Tibetan; this is a textual form of guidance on the steps of the path to full enlightenment in accordance with the Buddha's teachings, common among Tibetan Buddhists) by the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), in the context of defining "attained" shamatha, it is said that it is necessary to increase the duration of stay in the state of shamatha/samadhi to three hours. A detailed analysis of this issue is given in subchapter 3.1.7 "On the exceptional importance of shamatha, the three-hour duration of achieved shamatha and its accompanying mental and physiological effects" of my book "Meditation in raja yoga, Buddhism and according to neurophysiology: A practical guide".
The coincidence, on the one hand, of the three-hour duration of "achieved" shamatha/samadhi, which, provided daily practice continues, allows one to quickly enter rupa-dhyanas up to the fourth, in which physical breathing is completely suspended due to its complete replacement by pranic breathing, activated by the meditator's careful observance of the requirements of samadhi/shamatha, and, on the other hand, the three-hour duration of pranic breathing, that is, pranayama ("three-hour prana"), in the "Yoga Sutras", indicates that sutras 2.49-52 are talking specifically about the energetic – pranic – effect that occurs when the duration of genuine samadhi is increased to 3 hours. Not just three hours of sitting on a meditation mat, but specifically staying in a state of samadhi, that is, maintaining the mind clear and collected without a single thought or change in focus for 3 hours or longer.
Following the above, sutra 2.49 can also be translated as follows:
2.49. When this is accomplished, that is, when at least the second rupa-dhyana is achieved (this follows from sutras 2.47-48), then a strong, uninterrupted flow of prana (kundalini) continues for 3 hours (or longer) during the practice of samadhi (of the same duration, of course). During such samadhi practice, the flow of inhalation and exhalation is suspended, that is, the fourth rupa-dhyana is achieved (and subsequently, the arupa-ayatanas).
Thus, if we accept that sutras 2.47-49 were written by the same author, then sutra 2.49 “retrospectively” (“when this is accomplished”, tasmin-sati) and additionally, from the “technological”-pranic point of view of the meditation process, explains what has already been described in the two previous sutras.
The external manifestation of pranayama can be interpreted in two ways. This may refer to the control of physical breathing, if we're talking about the modern interpretation of pranayama. Or it may refer to the suspension of physical breathing (when "the flow of inhalation and exhalation is suspended"), if we are talking about the natural energetic effect that occurs during the practice of samadhi. This effect leads to such a significant activation of pranic breathing, that is, "pranayama", that it begins to replace physical breathing, and then the need for physical breathing is reduced or even disappears completely during the time spent in the state of true samadhi. Apparently, this interpretation constitutes the essence of pranayama in the context of the original meaning of sutras 2.49-52.
If we proceed from the second version of the interpretation of the term "pranayama", then in sutra 2.50, "external", "internal" and "motionless" do not mean exhalation, inhalation and suspension of physical breathing, but different levels of activation and control of prana.
The expression "internal manifestation of pranayama" may indicate a gradual improvement in the quality of pranic breathing, leading to an increase in the depth and duration of suspended physical breathing. While the need for physical breathing may only slightly decrease (but not completely disappear) during the initial practice of samadhi, as the practice gradually improves, this need may almost disappear, with the meditator being able to breathe only superficially (shallow breathing) for a time. This is also accompanied by increased control over the movement of pranas—the energies of the human being—in the pranamaya-kosha, the second of the five sheaths of the human being (pancha-kosha). Such an increase in the movement of pranas can lead, for example, to the healing of certain diseases. Just as a two-dimensional plane also has its coordinates in the three-dimensional space surrounding it, so too the physical body, nested like a "matryoshka doll" in a higher-dimensional space, can receive prana from a subtle space with a dimension greater than three.
Interestingly, the Sanskrit word "stambha" from sutra 2.50, which in this context is usually translated as "motionless", literally means "column" or "pillar". The choice of this particular word may indicate that as the duration of samadhi increases to three hours and its quality improves, the flow of prana intensifies so much that it can be compared to a massive column. This "column" may serve as an allegory for kundalini energy, the flow of which through the sushumna and along the spinal column becomes incredibly powerful during the practice of true, multi-hour samadhi.
"Motionless" pranayama, meaning the complete cessation of physical breathing, may correspond to entering the fourth rupa-dhyana, when even minimal disturbances of the chitta (the "mirror" of the mind) are eliminated, and when it (i.e., the state of the mind-manas) becomes coherent and seemingly motionless. The possibility of completely suspending physical breathing upon entering the fourth rupa-dhyana is discussed in the Buddhist text "Rahogata-sutta" ("Solitary"), Samyutta-nikaya 36.11. With such a significant increase in the flow of energies (pranas) of the meditator, physical breathing is completely replaced by pranic breathing during the practice of samadhi, and this serves as the most reliable confirmation of its correctness.
Sutra 2.50 speaks of a gradual transition from physical breathing to pranic breathing, where, as the practice of samadhi improves, the natural breath retention becomes longer—"in accordance with time and number". The movement and control of prana becomes increasingly refined as it is activated in a "space" of ever-increasing dimensionality/"number", that is, increasingly refined levels of prana's manifestation are achieved.
Attaining the fourth rupa-dhyana, which is accompanied by the complete cessation of physical breathing, that is, "motionless" pranayama, signifies the attainment of the arhat stage, that is, the beginning of the process of the direct development of superconsciousness. This is a key, "quantum" transition of consciousness from the level of an ordinary person with their sole cognitive tool, the mind-manas, to a fundamentally new level of developed superconsciousness with its universal capabilities for clairvoyantly receiving any knowledge (thanks to the development of vijnanamaya-kosha/buddhi) and universal capabilities for influencing the surrounding space (thanks to the development of anandamaya-kosha/sambhogakaya). This development, achieved through the practice of samadhi, is the goal of the teachings of Patanjali and Buddha. This goal cannot be achieved through any asanas or philosophical debates, so popular among those who call themselves yogis and Buddhists, respectively.
The fourth manifestation of pranayama, mentioned in sutra 2.51, no matter how one interprets its essence and method, clearly goes beyond the physical processes of breathing. Taking into account the content of the following sutra, 2.52, which builds on this sutra, sutra 2.51 describes the states characteristic of entering the Buddhist arupa-ayatanas—transcendental superconscious "stations of consciousness" attained by an arhat (a meditator who has already attained the fourth rupa-dhyana) through continued practice of samadhi/shamatha.
Sutra 2.52 complements the previous one, confirming the non-physical nature of this pranayama, associated with the movements of inner light (energy). This activation (amplification) of the energy flow occurs precisely as a natural "side" effect of the practice of samadhi/shamatha. The "veil concealing the all-pervading radiance" here refers to the sheaths/koshas of the human being, and primarily to the mind-manas (manomaya-kosha), when, as a result of the development of superconsciousness, it ceases to be the "pinnacle" of human cognitive abilities. The self-luminous Atman is "above" (in a space of higher dimension) all the koshas, including the anandamaya-kosha.
The full version of the book "The True Practical Essence of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" with a translation of all 196 sutras of the Yoga Sutras with commentaries on all important and/or complex sutras: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G6GT6M8B.
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