Caturtha-prakaraṇam (Nāḍī-śuddhi) · Verse 4
स्थानानि चैव वायूनां कर्माणि च पृथक्पृथक् । विज्ञातव्यानि यान्यस्मिन्देहे देहभृतां वर ॥
sthānāni caiva vāyūnāṃ karmāṇi ca pṛthakpṛthak | vijñātavyāni yānyasmindehe dehabhṛtāṃ vara ||
The concluding lines, “And the places of the vayus, and their actions separately. All should be known in this body, O best of embodied beings!” underscore the profound shift in perspective that Yājñavalkya aims to instil. The explicit request to identify the “places” of each vayu reveals a move beyond conceptual understanding towards embodied knowledge. Each vayu governs a specific domain – the breath, the digestive fire, the psychic wind – and its location within the body is critical to its effective management. The instruction to understand their “actions separately” highlights the need for a detailed, nuanced understanding of each vayu’s influence. This is not merely about breathing; it’s about comprehending the precise orchestration of energy throughout the entire deha – “embodied being” – a concept central to the yogic view of the self as intimately connected to the physical and subtle realms. The imperative to “know all” in this body emphasizes that the yogi’s mastery lies in becoming a living map of the prāṇic currents, a skill honed through diligent practice and intuitive awareness.