The Science of Breath (1898) - Page 15

Knowledge and the entire three worlds The three worlds: Earth, Heaven, and the Underworld are all contained within the Breath—and Breath itself is the very form of the Soul. || 16 ||

An astrologer without the knowledge of Breath is like a house without a master.

Like a mouth without the knowledge of Scripture, or a body without a head.

|| 17 ||

**Meaning—**An astrologer devoid of the knowledge of Breath—a house without a master—a mouth without the knowledge of the original: "Shastra" Sacred Scriptures—and a body without a head—none of these possess any beauty or grace. || 17 ||

One who knows the distinctions of the channels, the vital breath, and the elements,

As well as the mixture of the central channel, is one who attains liberation.

|| 18 ||

**Meaning—**The person who understands the distinctions between the Nadi Energy channels in the subtle body, the Prana The vital life-force, the Tattva The five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether, and the Sushumna The central spiritual channel of the spine—including the blending of the three primary channels—attains liberation. || 18 ||

Whether in the manifest or the unmanifest, success comes through the power of the Breath.

O Fair-faced One, some say that all auspiciousness comes from the knowledge of Breath alone.

|| 19 ||

**Meaning—**Whether in the manifest [ worldly/practical ] or the unmanifest [ spiritual/ultimate ], success is achieved through the power of the Vayu Air or Breath [ Svara ]. And O Parvati, some sages declare that it is only through the knowledge of the Breath that auspiciousness is realized. || 19 ||

The divisions of the universe and the individual body are created by the Breath alone.

The Breath is the creator of the universe and its destroyer; it is the manifest Great Lord.

|| 20 ||

**Meaning—**The various regions of the Brahmanda The Macrocosm or Universe and the Pinda The Microcosm or individual body etc., are created by the Breath alone...