# The Bellows of the Blacksmith Answer Key, Class Six: The Bellows of the Blacksmith **1) Give the Sanskrit name of the practice of the capsule known as "Sound of Thrill," explain the name briefly, and describe how it is performed.** The Sanskrit name of this practice is _sitkari _sITkarI_, _where _sit _(also seen as _shit _izt! ) refers to a sound of pleasure made by drawing the breath in through the clenched teeth, and _kari _means _to make _this sound.  We perform this capsule by breathing in through both nostrils, expanded, and through the clenched teeth.  Presumably holding a capsule is involved, although this is not directly mentioned in the text. **2) Master Svatmarama says that we will become "a second god of love" if we perform the practice of the "Sound of Thrill," and that we will be "surrounded by yoginis" (or yogis).  Why would a yogi or yogini be interested in becoming a "god of love," or being surrounded by such beings?** What's really being described here is practices of the inner wind which raise the inner heat.  One of the most important of these practices is a relationship with a spiritual partner: the forms of yoga which we perform with a partner.  In the Buddhist tradition, yoga with our partner is considered the fastest single way to enlightenment. From this point of view, we would want to be able to attract a partner, to be a "god of love" in this sense.  We would seek to raise a high amount of prana and to clear and open our channels, which would also attract to us actual enlightened beings, who would train us in even higher forms of yoga, so that we could become like them. It should be noted that all the practices described in our text also have this same effect, if carried out properly, under the guidance of a Master. **3) In describing the effects of the "Sound of Thrill" practice, Master Svatmarama uses the word "mandala" to describe the world.  Explain why he does so, speaking a bit about the meaning of the word, its roots, and related words in western languages.** The Master here says that we will become a "Lord of Yogis" upon "the face of this world, this mandala."  The point is that, when we are able to bring the winds into the central channel, then our perception of the world around us, and the beings in this world, will change completely: we will perceive ourselves in the paradise of an enlightened being, wherever we happen to be. The word mandala m{fl literally means a disk, and became a word for the world, which was perceived as a huge flat disk.  It then became a word for an enlightened paradise.  Some related words are the English mundane (worldly) and the Spanish mundo (the world). **4) Give the Sanskrit name for the practice called "Cooling Off," describing the root and related words, and how the practice is performed.** The Sanskrit name for the "Cooling Off" practice is shitali zItlI.  Linguistically this is probably related to the Indo-European root √kweih, which means to be quiet ("cooled down," also related to the Sanskrit root √shi zI, meaning to lie down quietly), and is the source for the English quiet, tranquil, and requiem. This capsule is performed by drawing the breath in through the tongue formed into a tube shape, holding the capsule, and then releasing through both nostrils. **5) Give the Sanskrit name for the practice known as "The Bellows," and describe how it's done.** The Sanskrit name for the capsule known as the Bellows is bhastrika Éiôka, the point being that we perform repeated sharp exhalations and inhalations, as if we were working the bellows of a blacksmith. We begin the practice ideally in the Lotus Pose, although if this is too difficult we may substitute any other cross-legged position.  We "gather both abdomen and mind," and then begin sharp exhalations from the two nostrils, and not the mouth. At the end of the entire practice, we inhale through the channel of the sun, holding a capsule in with the third and little fingers on one side, and the thumb on the other.  We then exhale through the moon channel. **6) What is the primary benefit of the Bellows practice?  What is the point of the inner body where this benefit occurs?  Give the Sanskrit name of this point and its literal meanings, as well as a common Tibetan synonym.** The primary benefit of the Bellows practice is to raise the inner fire, which is called kundali or kundalini k…{filnI in Sanskrit.  When this fire is stimulated, it triggers other changes within the inner body which lead to the direct perception of ultimate reality, and thus our transformation into an enlightened being within a brief time. Kundali refers to a coiled shape, and thus to the image of the inner fire lying dormant within us like a coiled snake.  It also refers to a clay pot or oven fashioned from laying down coils of clay, and one of the most common Tibetan translations for the word is "the inner oven," again a reference to the inner fire.  This fire itself is normally referred to in Tibetan as tummo #_p1-1}k.  Interestingly, the ancient Tibetans also used the word kolmo "};-1}k—the word for a bellows which is also used to translate bhastrika—to translate this word kundali. **7) What Sanskrit word does the Master use to describe the "wakening" of the inner fire?  What is the root here, and what are some related words, both Sanskrit and English?  What term do the Tibetans use, and what is another common usage of it?** The Sanskrit word that Master Svatmarama uses for the "wakening" of the inner fire is bodhaka baexk, which comes from the root √budh bux! , which means to awaken.  We see this root of course in the words Buddha and bodhisattva.  Ultimately this root is related to the root √vid ivdœ, meaning to see or to know, which comes into the English as wisdom, video, and wit. The term that the Tibetans use here is seje =+-A{+k, which means to trigger or to awaken something.  This is employed most often with the word bakchak 0#-&#=k, mental seed.  An example of the awakening of the mental seed is in the case of reincarnated Lamas such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, where at a certain age (say from ten to fifteen years old) the mental seed from past lives is awakened, and these Lamas begin to resemble their past life. **8) In the description of the Bellows practice, we are instructed to "bring the unruly wind all the way down to the lotus at the heart."  Describe this lotus.** This "lotus" is actually a reference to the chakra at the heart.  A chakra is sometimes referred to as a "lotus" due to the similarity of the network of side channels branching out horizontally from the center of the chakra, which again from above resemble the spokes of a wagon wheel, or the petals of a flower.  In Tibetan, these "spoke" channels are sometimes referred to with the word tsandab P-8+0k, which literally means "channel petal." **9) The Master states that the practice of the Bellows has the effect of opening the "three knots."  Describe these three, according to both the Indian and Tibetan traditions, giving also the Sanskrit word for a "knot" of the inner body, its root, and related English words.** The yogic scriptures as they came into Tibet describe knots that are formed as the two side channels twist around the central channel.  It is said that the channel of the moon twists around the central channel in a counter-clockwise fashion, while the channel of the sun does so in a clockwise manner (as seen from the top). When our negative thoughts are in predominance, which is almost all the time, then these two side channels are filled with prana.  They expand therefore and choke off the central channel, lessening our good thoughts and preventing the direct perception of emptiness and the transformation of the body into light. At these chokepoints, pressure builds up and secondary channels break out horizontally to the sides and front.  Viewed from the top, these channels resemble the spokes of wheels, and so these areas are known as chakras, or wheels. In the Tibetan tradition, the two side channels circle the central channel once each at three different locations: the navel, throat, and tip of the head, creating knots.  At the heart though they circle the central three times each, creating a much more serious knot, the most difficult knot to open.  The Tibetan tradition thus defines a total of six knots. The reference to "three knots" in the text here may refer either to these three knots at the heart, or to the presentation in some yogic texts of three knots known as the Vishnu granthi, Brahma granthi, and Rudra granthi. The place covered by the knot of Vishnu is said to be the areas between the manipura, anahata, and vishuddhi chakras (navel, heart, and throat).  That covered by the knot of Brahma is said to be the area of the muladhara and svadisthana chakras (perineum and tailbone).  That covered by the knot of Rudra is said to be the areas of ajnya and sahasrara chakras (forehead and tip of head). The Sanskrit word for knot here is granthi ¢iNw.  This comes from a root √grath ¢w! , meaning to tie.  The English words crate, grate, and grid are related, having come through a Latin word for something made from knotting wicker together. **10) We've been describing the physical, behavioral, and mental symptoms of a _lung _disorder, which is typically caused (apparently) by performing pranayama or similar practices improperly.  What though are the "real" causes of _lung?_** The "real" causes of a lung disorder are, of course, karmic; and ultimately speaking we can only deal with these disorders through karmic antidotes.  Karmic causes of a wind disorder would of course be actions which make other people "lungy." This might include putting people in situations which are too much pressure for them, or which cause major mental distraction for them.  Perhaps at work or home we demand too much from those around us, causing them discomfort and anxiety.  Or we encourage friends in unhealthy busy-ness, such as excessive and unnecessary exposure to computers or radio or television or newspapers, and thus damage their calm and single-pointedness. As teachers of yoga or other spiritual disciplines, we are frequently in a position where if we are not closely attentive to the specific spiritual needs of those who are depending on us for instruction, those in our care may develop lung or similar problems.  The karma of this is of course that we would develop even more serious symptoms of these same disorders ourselves. We counteract this type of behavior by devoting some time in our meditations and contemplations to come up with ways that we could contribute to the mental peace and single-pointedness of others.  The best thing we can do is always to be a personal example for others of a person who is calm, collected, and single-pointed, even in very stressful situations. The Yoga Studies Institute Course VI: Hatha Yoga Pradipika II Pranayama: Breath and the End of Breath