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The five vital airs, the five aspects of praaNa

(The words in italics are ITRANS version of Sanskrit word. Refer the English-Sanskrit
dictionary by Monier Williams at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/monier/ )
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Consciousness and knowledge is same. Some one conscious means that the one is
knowing or feeling. The word knowledge is called j~naana. This word is almost
pronounced as jnana. The word can be broken into j~na + an. The word j~na when
pronounced has a similarity with the word know. j~na means who knows. j~na is the
still, immutable soul and an is His knowing. an is animation or flow of praaNa or
time. So this is the interpretation of the word knowledge by the seers. In every knowing,
every activity, at one end we are still, immutable, as it is and at the other end we are
animated, flowing in time.
We have earlier explained, that praaNa, meaning Life or Life God is the Universal life
flowing in every thing and is being perceived as life in the living and time (kala) in the
external world. We have also explained that praaNa is the active aspect of the
Consciousness who at one end is Inactive, immutable and absolutely one, the soul of all
of us and because of whose presence in us we can feel our self .
praaNa as eternity is called mukhya praaNa or Principal praaNa, meaning the
Universal and Eternal Life God. Vedas have also termed mukhya praaNa or Principal
praaNa as udgItha----meaning who takes us above the death and who is above the
death.
praaNa, animation, who is active in us, whom we are feelings as our dear life, is called
madhyama praaNa. Word madhyama means who is in the middle or who is inside.
The Universal consciousness, principal praaNa is in us as us and regulating every
thing, and is known as madhyama praaNa. The word madhyama also is connected to
the word maadhyama meaning medium. Medium means the one who permeates every
thing, who connects everything. These are the communication features of praaNa and
physically we see such properties in Air, Electricity etc. This aspect (communicative) of
praaNa is termed as byaana in the text. The functions of nervous system, the action of
neurons are all functionality of byaana. Our limbs act in unison and are taut because of
this function known as byaana. Similarly we are connected to every grain of universe
by byaana.
apaana is that aspect of praaNa by which we remain held or attached. It is the source
of gravity, gravitational force also. When we achieve anything, we get attached to it, we
are held in it. This is why the root word ap means water and the word aapti meaning
achievement, accomplishment is derived from the root word ap. We get cooled and
satisfied by ap or water. We get cooled and satisfied when we achieve what we desire.
Achieving a thing, a desire, in turn creates a field for us, to which we remain held or
attached. Suppose you have learnt flying kite. When you achieve the skill of flying kite,
that becomes a field for you to which you remain held or attached. Thus apaana is
there behind every attachment.

As we move into our object or subject of desire, the field of attachment that develops is a
magnetic field. It is called vraja in Sanskrit. The word vraja generally means
movement or roaming. The abode of Krishna is also called vraja. It is similar to
the physical effect which we see as the magnetic field due to electrical current or due to
the motion of a charged particle. (The word vajra in Sanskrit means electricity or
thunderbolt.)
We are held in the body by apaana, similarly we are held by the earth due to apaana.
(This has been described in Prashna Upanishad. There it is said, the goddess who is in
the earth, she is also holding the apaana in the entity i.e. what is known as gravity in
the earth, is apaaa in the body and thus we are held. (In the texts in several places the
words body and earth are used as synonyms.)
As we are held by apaana, apaana also controls anything that is no longer necessary
to hold. So the excretions are also controlled by apaana.
This is why when we expire, we are purged out of the body by apaana. Thus Vedas
have said, naavou apaano, apaanat mrtiyu----meaning apaana acts from the centre,
from the navel and from that action one expires or leaves the body. On the other hand
we remain attached to mother by umbilical chord connected to the navel. The navel is
also called solar plexus and we will discuss this later.
The word praaNa also means, principal animation=pra + an. pra means principal as
well as first(prathama). Anything which is first is thus related to this aspect of praaNa.
Since any action originates from praaNa, praaNa is the first and in the beginning of
time and is perceived in the realm of oneness and duality as the creation begins with
duality. When we know any thing, it is praaNa who knows and our knowing is a part of
it. praaNa sees without eyes, eyes are sequel to the act of seeing, praaNa hears
without ears, ears are the sequel to the acts of listening, praaNa touches without the
skin, skin and the lips are the sequel to the touch and so on. So, praana is in the
beginning and at first in all actions.
It is for this reason the first love, the first impression, the first child and the first things
play significant roles in the mind, in the custom and in the rituals. We are conscious and
we are in consciousness, we are part of Universal consciousness or Universal praaNa.
Thats why anything that happens in our mind or instinct is not trivial. This is why the
practice and customs in societies, the rituals and the instincts may some time reveal very
significant aspects of the eternity. As the praaNa flows, as the time flows, everywhere
the impressions and foot prints are left. Reading this is reading Vedas. (paden
anuvindaet -know by following the steps.)
From the word an, (which I believe is exactly the same word an of animation), of
praaNa (=pra + an) originates the word anna meaning food. The two n in the word
anna represent the escalation of activities of an or praaNa. anna means that aspect of
praaNa by which praaNa nourishes us.
Vedas have quoted about samaana (who is another aspect of praaNa) as
hutam(offered) annam(foods) samaanm (to sameness, to equality)
nayati(leads)------samaana leads the offered foods to the sameness. The word hutam

means which has been offered as oblation and is originating from the primary word
hU. The word havana meaning fire, fire god is also from the word hU. When we
eat food, we offer oblation to fire god, agni. praaNa is burning, illuminating,
revealing. praaNa is agni. By praaNa, by the touch of praaNa everything becomes
praaNa. Like if any thing burning in fire becomes part of the fire, flagrant, similarly by
the touch of praaNa the foods become our life. praaNa is our warmtth.
Because of praaNa in us the food which we eat nourishes us. The foods get in our
system and are assimilated. They become our energy, our power, our vigour, become
same with us. May be the word vigour is connected to the word bharga. bharga means
radiance, radiance of praaNa, illumination of Life eternal.
Assimilation is the essential thing of creation. We live by assimilation. The food we eat is
brought to evenness with us, they become our part. This bringing to evenness, converting
the foods into our own parts or making them same with us to nourish us, is the action of
samaana. Since samaana brings the food in the sameness so is called samaana.
sama (same) + an (animation)= samaana.
Similarly the creator, the praana, is assimilating us and this is our evolution and in the
process we are becoming inquisitive of our source, of our origin and we are evolving. In
this process one day we will be able to identify us with praaNa. This is why in
Vedas/Upanishads it has been cited that praaNa is our anna (food) and also we are
anna of praaNa.
But we continue to see evil and good, we continue to taste delicacy and unpalatable food,
smell fragrance and repulsive scent and so on because of duality. However, it is not so in
the Principal praaNa where the duality merges into one and every aspect is known as
the activity of praaNa. If we know praaNa we will see how Consciousness is holding
duality in Oneness. This is why praaNa is numbered as 1-1/2(one and half) (Note 1).
This is the crescent moon held on the forehead of the mother goddess. When we know
the praaNa, we are not grieved by anything. We are not disturbed by any kind of
feelings as they then appear with the divine Oneness.
The destination where the time flows, the flowing praaNa, takes us there and it is called
ut(ud). The word ut(ud) means up. This aspect of praaNa to lift us up from one
state to the other is udaana=ut(ud) + an. As we stated earlier, when we die, apaana
purges the body out of us or purges us out of the body, and udaana takes us to another
plane.
Thus udaana lifts us up and takes us to our destination after our life span ends here. We
go to the destinations as per our disposition in consciousness which is decided by the way
we live throughout the life or the way we feel or know throughout the life. This is
karma. udaana takes us high or low as we live the life.
However, it is 'udaana who lifts us above the physicality, above mortality. It is because
of udaana we look up at the heaven, we long to rise. This is why the praaNa is called
marut. marut means mara (mortality)+ut(ud) (above, up). The air god is called
marut in the Vedas , as praaNa, air, lifts us above the death, mortality. This aspect of

udaana belongs to udgItha(the name given to the Principal praaNa, as Principal


praaNa carries every one beyond mortality.
Every thing we feel, every moment we pass, takes us away along with it. As the air
carries away the scent along with it so the moment carries us away with them. Thus every
moment brings in a novelty, brings in a new person, a new you, a new me. When the
stream flows very fast, we can not perceive from outside and it appears to be a still sheet
of water. Similarly we think us as almost stationary and changing gradually. But this is
not the thing. Its a high speed motion, immense, incredible, to which we are subjected to.
We do not get lost in the oblivion of past. Our past forms are held in praana with all the
care and all the love. Every imperfectness we had is nourished toward perfectness and
when we come back again from the plane of ut(ud) (divinity) to the plane of ap
(mortality) our past traits, abilities, knowledge become more evolved, more matured.
Thus praaNa rears us up and ushers us into divinity.
All these aspects of praaNa have been described in Vedas. It is very vividly described
in Prashnopanishad. This Upanishad starts with praSna or questions about the origin
because as the creation started, every entity automatically started to question who am I,
where from am I?
praaNa is always eager to take us up, in every moment. Thus every moment of us is
regulated. This regulation happens through us without affecting our freedom! None of our
action is happening without the knowledge of praaNa. Because of Oneness we think we
are acting. However we can see so many actions are happening beyond our control.
praaNa is acting out of love. Love, affection, feelings are the crusts over the praaNa.
We grieve since we do not know and when we know we get over all the sorrows. Our
beloved are beloved because of some shade of praaNa that we are able to sense naturally
in them. We live in our body as long as praaNa stays , we leave the body when praaNa
leaves----this has been described as utkramaNa in the Vedas. Thats why Vedas have
beseeched ma utkramI---do not leave. This means when you leave I must not feel being
uprooted, I must not feel life less while leaving!. If we know praaNa, wherever we go
we remain in praaNa, we remain in life eternal. (To be continued in Part 2)
Note 1. Refer Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, third chapter, 9th Brahmin, 8th and 9thMantra.
{This is written from the teachings received from the Seers Shri. Bijoykrishna
Chattopadhaya (1875-1945), and his principle disciple Shri Tridibnath
Bandopadhaya(1923-1994).------Debkumar Lahiri
(you may write to the author at dkldk@rediffmail.com or debkumar.lahiri@gmail.com
for any comments or query)

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