Asanena Rujo Hanti - Asana, Pranayama and Liberation
आसनेन रुजो हन्ति प्राणायामेन पातकम्। विकारं मानसं योगी प्रत्याहारेण सर्वदा॥ धारणाभिर्मनोधैर्यं याति चैतन्यमद्भुतम्। समाधौ मोक्षमाप्नोति त्यक्त्वा कर्म शुभाशुभम्॥
āsanena rujo hanti prāṇāyāmena pātakam । vikāraṁ mānasaṁ yogī pratyāhāreṇa sarvadā ॥ dhāraṇābhir mano dhairyaṁ yāti caitanyam adbhutam । samādhau mokṣam āpnoti tyaktvā karma śubhāśubham ॥
Meaning of Āsanena Rujo Hanti Prāṇāyāmena
Diseases are destroyed by asana and sins by pranayama. The disorders of the yogi's mind are removed by pratyahara. Dharana brings patience of mind and wonderful consciousness is attained; in samadhi the seeker attains liberation by renouncing both auspicious and inauspicious actions.
Word by word
- आसनेनāsanena
by posture
√आस्
- रुजःrujaḥ
diseases
√रुज्
- हन्तिhanti
destroys
√हन्
- प्राणायामेनprāṇāyāmena
by breath control
प्राण + आ + √यम्
- पातकम्pātakam
accumulated fault
√पत्
- विकारम्vikāram
disturbance
वि + √कृ
- मानसम्mānasam
of the mind
मनस्
- योगीyogī
the yogi
√युज्
- प्रत्याहारेणpratyāhāreṇa
by withdrawal of the senses
प्रति + आ + √हृ
- धारणाभिःdhāraṇābhiḥ
by concentrations
√धृ
- मनोधैर्यम्manodhairyam
steadiness of mind
मनस् + √धृ
- चैतन्यम् अद्भुतम्caitanyam adbhutam
wondrous awareness
√चित्
- समाधौsamādhau
in samadhi
सम् + आ + √धा
- मोक्षम् आप्नोतिmokṣam āpnoti
attains liberation
√मुच् + √आप्
- त्यक्त्वाtyaktvā
having relinquished
√त्यज्
- कर्म शुभाशुभम्karma śubhāśubham
action good and bad alike
√कृ
Commentary
This subhashita from the Yogachudamani Upanishad outlines the holistic nature of Yoga. It doesn't just treat the body or the mind in isolation but sees them as a continuum. While 'Asana' (postures) addresses physical ailments, 'Pranayama' (breath control) is described as a means of moral and spiritual purification. The transition to 'Pratyahara' (withdrawal of senses) and 'Dharana' (concentration) shows the path from the external world to the internal self, culminating in 'Samadhi'—a state of equanimity where one is no longer bound by the dualities of 'good' and 'bad' actions. The passage is a ladder and each rung is matched to what it can actually remove: āsana to bodily disease, prāṇāyāma to accumulated fault, pratyāhāra to disturbance of mind, dhāraṇā to unsteadiness. Nothing is asked of a limb that a later one is meant to do. The last step breaks the pattern, since samādhi is not said to remove a defect but to require a relinquishing — tyaktvā karma śubhāśubham, having let go of action both good and bad.
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More subhashitams on Yoga
View topic pageसुखोपविष्टास्ते तत्र पुण्यां चक्रुः कथामिमाम्। धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाणामारोग्यं मूलमुत्तमम्॥
sukhopaviṣṭās te tatra puṇyāṃ cakruḥ kathām imām । dharmārthakāmamokṣāṇām ārogyaṃ mūlam uttamam ॥
Charaka Samhita presents good health as the foremost foundation for pursuing dharma, prosperity, desire and liberation.
अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियहितं च यत्। स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनं चैव वाङ्मयं तप उच्यते॥
anudvegakaraṁ vākyaṁ satyaṁ priyahitaṁ ca yat । svādhyāyābhyasanaṁ caiva vāṅmayaṁ tapa ucyate ॥
The Bhagavad Gita describes truthful, pleasant, beneficial, and non-agitating words, together with regular study, as austerity of speech.
हिताहितं सुखं दुःखमायुस्तस्य हिताहितम्। मानं च तच्च यत्रोक्तमायुर्वेदः स उच्यते॥
hitāhitaṃ sukhaṃ duḥkham āyus tasya hitāhitam । mānaṃ ca tac ca yatroktam āyurvedaḥ sa ucyate ॥
Charaka Samhita defines Ayurveda through beneficial and harmful, happy and unhappy forms of life and the measure of lifespan.