उपनिषद् · Jābāladarśana 7.6
॥
देवनागरी
दन्तमूलात्तथा कण्ठे कण्ठादुरसि मारुतम् । उरोदेशात्समाकृष्य नाभिदेशे निरोधयेत्
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
dantamūlāttathā kaṇṭhe kaṇṭhādurasi mārutam | urodeśātsamākṛṣya nābhideśe nirodhayet
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
दन्त-मूलात् तथा कण्ठेdanta-mūlāt tathā kaṇṭhefrom the root of the teeth to the throat
कण्ठात् उरसि मारुतम्kaṇṭhāt urasi mārutamfrom the throat, in the chest — the wind
उरः-देशात् समाकृष्यuraḥ-deśāt samākṛṣyafrom the region of the chest, having drawn in
नाभि-देशे निरोधयेत्nābhi-deśe nirodhayetlet him hold it in the region of the navel
अनुवाद
"From the root of the teeth to the throat, from the throat, into the chest — the wind; having drawn it in from the region of the chest, let him hold it in the region of the navel."
संस्करण
5d72ad1aefc1 · प्रकाशित 12 अग॰ 2026, 5:00:00 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
A technique is described: attention leads the breath through places, from top to bottom — from the teeth to the throat, to the chest, to the navel. Worth noting is that this is the very same dharana, "holding," discussed when reading the sixth khanda (6.22); but there it was applied to diseases, while here it is called withdrawal of the senses. This change of purpose is telling and deserves examination.
One and the same technique is called, in one place, a medicine, and elsewhere, a rung of yoga. That means these techniques are indifferent in themselves to a purpose: they can be applied to anything. This observation is broadly useful, and explains why nowadays the same exercises are taught as a way to improve health — and this is not a distortion, but one of their applications.
From this the Vaishnava side draws its usual rule: the means is defined by the goal, not the reverse. The same action is a different act, depending on for whom it is performed; this was discussed when reading the fourth khanda (4.51), where disposition was named the measure. Let us add a practical consequence. It is useless to dispute whether these exercises are good: they are good for what they are good for. One must ask not "is this good," but "for what am I doing this"; and a person knows the answer to the second question about himself, even if he does not admit it.