Prana
Lesson 13 PRANA
We are in an understanding that if there is life they have
respirations. There are only two life forms that can live without
respirations. They are baby in mother’s womb and a yogi in maha
Samadhi. The baby lives with impure mothers blood. The purity of
blood depends on the mother’s blood. The great yogi that have
attained maha Samadhi have pure blood but no blood circulation.
Prana is still between eyebrows in the form of light.
Once the prana leaves the body it becomes cold and decays. So we
know prana is protecting the body and also it is form of heat ‘agni’
in the body. When we are alive we can talk, hear, know etc., ie;
prana is also form of knowledge ’ jnana swarupa’. There is glow in
the face of young people, because they have more prana shakti or
life force. That is why we notice face being dull in chronically ill
patients, because prana shakti is less. If prana leaves the body
that means soul ’jiva’ have left the body. So prana is jiva also.
The contemplating mind also is leaving with the body, so prana is
also the mind. We can only enjoy anything when prana is in the body,
so prana is a thing of joy also. Our body deteriorates as time goes
by,
because of the slow reduction of our prana. If we can safeguard
prana our bodies are safe. So, prana is ever young, it does not have
childhood, old age or death. It has no death and is immortal.
Can we create this prana that has so many qualities? If it is so we
can give prana to keep one alive. The chemical that is available
outside is also called ‘prana vayau’ life force, it is 20% in the
air. Many believe that, if we do not breath prana vayu we cannot
live. But is life depending only on pranavayu? Inspite of it being
available we see people dying some day. So to keep one alive along
with outside air we need something else. If there is a dead body and
living person the difference is breath. Prana is missing. The one
with prana is breathing even in sleep. So prana is different from
prana vayu. ‘atmana esha prano jayate’ Prashnopanishat. The prana is
born from the center of eyebrows in the mother’s womb. With every
expiration it comes down and tries go back with every inspiration.
But due to the phlegm this prana is unable to reach back completely.
If it is not purified it is unable to go upward so it leaves the
body. That is called death. ‘jatasya hi maranam dhruvam’ is
applicable to people who do not make efforts to clear the
respiratory tracts. The yogi that puts in efforts prana does not
leave the body, so they can live even without respirations. For
example when the prana is leaving if oxygen is given there is will
be some relief. That is because of the heat in the oxygen reduces
some phlegm, but we cannot stop the prana to leave. Same with giving
blood to a patient who have lost blood. But if they loose lot of
blood no matter how much blood given we cannot make them live. So,
what we clearly understand is only we, can protect the prana that is
within us. For this at all times and everyday, we have to do
pranayama. For the cells in our body to survive they need glucose
and oxygen. We feed glucose by eating food and imagine there oxygen
in the outside air and that is good enough. We are neglecting to
show prana the path.
We are born as discriminating, intelligent human beings, take the
decision and make pranayama a necessity, and achieve it. Prana is
not only in the body but also outside. It is in the form of
consciousness, ’chaitanya’. To see it one need to concentrate in the
center of eyebrows, it will appear as the divine light ’divya
prakash’. This is atma darshan.
If one can see the light within, he can also see light all around.
Yogis, intellectuals, divine people are the ones who can see inside
and outside as one and same. They are true worshippers of God. For
them prana is God, Brahma, Vishu and Maheswara.
Everything is full of prana. ‘sarvam prana mayam’ So to reach God
there is no other way other than pranayama.
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