While the nāḍīs are full of impurities, breath cannot enter the central channel. How then can the state of no-mind arise? How can there be success in the goal?

This verse introduces key concepts of the subtle body: the nāḍīs (energy channels) and madhya (central channel, suṣumnā).

Mala (impurity) and kalā (residue) obstruct the nāḍīs, preventing the free flow of prāṇa. Cleansing these channels is a prerequisite for advanced practices.

Unmanī-bhāva (state of no-mind) is a technical term in Haṭha Yoga for the deep meditative state where ordinary mind ceases. It is synonymous with samādhi.

The rhetorical questions emphasize the logic: without clean channels, there is no correct energy flow; without correct flow, there are no elevated states; without elevated states, there is no final attainment.

Haṭha Yoga dedicates considerable attention to ṣaṭkarma (six cleansings) and purificatory prāṇāyāma techniques precisely for this reason. They are not optional; they are necessary preparation.

The subtle body may seem abstract, but its effects are concrete: congestion, lethargy, scattered mind indicate blockage; clarity, vitality, easy concentration indicate open channels.