Since the great bird flies upward without rest, that is why it is called Uḍḍīyāna, and the bandha is described there.

This verse offers a complementary poetic etymology.The mahā-khaga (great bird) is a metaphor for prāṇa—or more specifically kuṇḍalinī—which, once freed from its bonds, ascends tirelessly toward brahmarandhra, the opening of Brahman at the crown of the head.

The image of restless flight (aviśrāntam) suggests the irresistible nature of prāṇa when properly channeled.Once the energy enters suṣumṇā through the practice of Uḍḍīyāna, it continues its ascent until it reaches its destination.There is no turning back or pause.

In the Tantric tradition, the flying bird also symbolizes the haṃsa—the mythical swan that represents the individual ātman ascending toward its union with paramātman, the universal consciousness.Each inhalation is ham, each exhalation sa: the natural mantra that the prāṇa continuously chants as it ascends the spinal column.