Prana and Vayu
Submitted by divine_sysop on June 5, 2009 - 07:09
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Prana came from the Sanskrit roots Pra meaning first or thorough and Na meaning tiny or very basic. Therefore, the energy aspect of consciousness present in the body is called Prana . Literally, it refers to the potential life-force.
The entire creation of the world is the manifestation of prana . It moves through channels called Nadis.
Pranasyedam vase sarvam tri-dive yat pratishthitam |
Mateva putran rakshsva srisca pragyanam ca vidhehi nah iti ||
- Prasnopanishad II:13
Everything is under the control of life-force, which is well-established in the three worlds. Protect us as a mother protects her sons. Grant to us prosperity and wisdom.
All the functions of the physical body and activities of the mind including sensory perception are the manifestation of Prana . A person is only said to be alive so long as he has prana in his body. When prana goes out, the person is considered dead. Therefore, Prana is the life-force.
Prana works in a five-fold manner in the body to maintain life with different locations and functions.
It activates the nerve centers in the brain and the spinal cord.
The function of prana is called "vayu". According to the function and location, prana can be segregated into prana vayu, apana vayu, samana vayu, udana vayu and vyana vayu.
