Śivasaṃhitā 3.3

The vital force is not a single undifferentiated energy but a principle that manifests in multiple functional modes throughout the body. This verse introduces the doctrine of the vāyus—the differentiated expressions of prāṇa—and acknowledges that their full enumeration exceeds the scope of the present text. The classical list of five principal vāyus (prāṇa, apāna, samāna, udāna, vyāna) and five secondary ones represents only the most common systematization of a far richer tradition.

The compound vṛttibheda is philosophically careful: vṛtti denotes modification or functional movement, and bheda denotes distinction or differentiation. The same prāṇa takes different names according to its different vṛtti—its modes of operation. Notably, vṛtti is the same term Patañjali uses for the fluctuations of the mind, suggesting a structural parallel between mental and prāṇic dynamics that the yoga tradition consistently exploits.

The text’s admission that not all names can be given here is more than modesty—it reflects the genuine diversity of prāṇic taxonomy across Indian traditions. Medical texts like the Caraka Saṃhitā, tantric texts, and haṭhayoga manuals each offer their own lists and localizations. Understanding prāṇa’s multiple functions is essential for the intelligent practice of prāṇāyāma, since different retention techniques are designed to work with specific vāyus in specific regions of the subtle body.