सहस्रशः सन्तु हठेषु कुम्भाः
संभाव्यते केवलकुम्भ एव ।
कुम्भोत्तमे यत्र तु रेचपूरौ
प्राणस्य न प्राकृतर्वैकृताख्यौ ॥१०॥

A Working Translation

"Let there be thousands of kumbhakas in Hatha Yoga;
yet it is only Kevala Kumbhaka that is truly esteemed.
For in that supreme kumbhaka,
the exhalation and inhalation of prana are neither natural nor artificial."

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1️⃣ "सहस्रशः सन्तु हठेषु कुम्भाः"

"Let there be thousands of kumbhakas in Hatha Yoga."

This is not criticism of Hatha Yoga.

Rather, Shankara acknowledges the multitude of pranayama methods described in texts such as:

• Hatha Yoga Pradipika
• Gheranda Samhita
• Shiva Samhita

These traditions describe numerous kumbhakas:

• Surya Bhedana
• Ujjayi
• Bhastrika
• Sitali
• Sitkari
• Bhramari
• Murccha
• Plavini

and many variations.

Shankara says, in effect:

All of these have their place.

But then he points beyond them.

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2️⃣ "संभाव्यते केवलकुम्भ एव"

"Only Kevala Kumbhaka is regarded as supreme."

The word eva ("alone", "indeed") is emphatic.

Why?

Because all other kumbhakas involve some degree of:

• deliberate effort,
• regulation,
• technique,
• intervention by the practitioner.

Kevala Kumbhaka is different.

It is not a technique.

It is a state.

A useful distinction:

This directly echoes verses 8 and 9.

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3️⃣ The Difficult and Interesting Part

कुम्भोत्तमे यत्र तु रेचपूरौ

प्राणस्य न प्राकृतर्वैकृताख्यौ

Let's examine this carefully.

Prākṛta (प्राकृत)

Means:

• natural,
• ordinary,
• arising from the normal condition.

The ordinary breathing cycle is prākṛta.

---

Vaikṛta (वैकृत)

Means:

• modified,
• altered,
• artificially produced,
• manipulated.

In yogic context, controlled breathing practices belong here.

---

Thus Shankara says:

In the highest kumbhaka,

the inhalation and exhalation are neither:

1. ordinary natural breathing,
2. nor artificially modified breathing.

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4️⃣ This is an Extremely Subtle Statement

Normally there are only two possibilities.

First possibility

Breathing occurs naturally.

You are simply breathing.

This is prākṛta.

---

Second possibility

You consciously regulate breathing.

You lengthen,
shorten,
hold,
count,
control.

This is vaikṛta.

---

Shankara introduces a third possibility.

A state where:

• breathing is not occurring in its ordinary way,
• yet it is not being controlled either.

This is the paradox of Kevala Kumbhaka.

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5️⃣ Relation to Samadhi

Many yoga and tantric texts observe that in deep absorption:

• breath becomes extraordinarily subtle,
• sometimes appearing to stop,
• without conscious effort.

The practitioner is not "holding" the breath.

Nor is the ordinary respiratory rhythm active in the usual manner.

This is what the verse is pointing toward.

The key point is not respiratory mechanics but the underlying state of consciousness.

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6️⃣ Connection with Earlier Verses

Notice the progression:

Verse 8

Kevala Kumbhaka arises from the ripening of practice and dries up the flow of sensory engagement.

Verse 9

It blossoms in attentive practitioners when the movements of breath and mind become still.

Verse 10

Now Shankara declares:

Among countless kumbhakas, this alone is supreme because it belongs to neither ordinary breathing nor deliberate control.

The progression is remarkably systematic.

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7️⃣ A Deeper Vedantic Reading

Shankara's wording suggests something beyond physiology.

Ordinary breathing belongs to the realm of habitual activity.

Artificial breathing belongs to the realm of intentional activity.

Kevala Kumbhaka belongs to neither.

It stands between—or beyond—both.

This mirrors a recurring Advaitic theme:

• neither action nor inaction,
• neither effort nor non-effort,
• neither doing nor not-doing.

The highest state is not achieved by forcing; it appears when the mechanisms of effort themselves become quiet.

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8️⃣ Essence of the Verse

The central message is:

There may be innumerable pranayama techniques, but Kevala Kumbhaka alone is called the supreme kumbhaka because in it breathing is neither ordinary nor deliberately controlled; it is a spontaneous stillness arising from profound yogic absorption.

This verse is one of the clearest statements in the text that Kevala Kumbhaka is not merely a respiratory practice—it is a sign of a transformed state of consciousness.