Bhagavad Gita BG 4.29
Chapter 4, Verse 29 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
अपाने जुह्वति प्राणं प्राणेऽपानं तथापरे । प्राणापानगती रुद्ध्वा प्राणायामपरायणाः ॥
apane juhvati pranam prane 'panam tathapare prana-apana-gati ruddhva pranayama-parayanah
Meaning
Some offer the prana (outgoing breath) into the apana (incoming breath), and others the apana into the prana — having restrained the movement of both prana and apana, devoted to pranayama.
Understanding
The yajna of pranayama: controlling and balancing the breath as an inner offering. Prana is the outgoing (upward-flowing) vital breath; apana is the incoming (downward-flowing) vital breath. Some offer prana into apana (kumbhaka — breath retention after exhalation); others offer apana into prana (retention after inhalation). The movement (gati) of both is ruddhva (restrained, checked). This pranayama-parayana (devoted to pranayama) practice stills the mind by stilling the breath.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| अपाने | apane | into the apana (downward vital breath) |
| प्राणम् | pranam | the prana (upward vital breath) |
| गतिम् | gatim | movement, course, flow |
| रुद्ध्वा | ruddhva | having restrained, checked, stopped |
| प्राणायामपरायणाः | pranayama-parayanah | devoted to pranayama, committed to breath-control |
| प्राणे | prāṇe | in the outgoing breath / into the prāṇa |
| जुह्वति | juhvati | offer / pour as oblation |
| अपानम् | apānam | the downward breath / apāna |
| तथा | tathā | similarly / in the same way |
| अपरे | apare | others / still others |
| प्राणापान | prāṇa-apāna | the outgoing and downgoing breaths |