Maha Prana – An Introduction:
Maha Prana was discussed briefly in my two part blog on “The journey of the soul after death” (<click here to know more, if required) where I had mentioned how Maha Prana plays an important role in carrying the imprints of the past life. Now In this blog, we will delve deeper into understanding Maha Prana. This is divided into the following topics:
- Maha Prana – the place where both merger & emergence happens.
- Where does Prana originate?
- Development of Prana in our Body.
- Unique Nature or Characteristic of Maha Prana.
- Total number of Pranas or Breaths in our body.
- Fivefold Division of Maha Prana.
- Conclusion
Maha Prana is also known as the “Great or Chief Prana” where Maha means “Great” and hence it is described as the Chief among all pranas”. Prana is derived from two words – “pra” means something that comes prior or before and “An” means “to breathe or the complete cycle of breathing – inward & outward”. Prana is that which comes prior to life being formed i.e. the very day a woman conceives (when the sperm fertilizes the egg). As it provides energy to life and is also called the Vital Life Force! If the Prana is not active or inert at the time when the sperm fertilizes the egg, woman fails to conceive.
Maha Prana is important as it jump starts or boosts all the “indriyas” or sense organs, mind & intellect etc. Hence, Maha Prana is the prime mover of all vital organs of our body and also the last to depart from our body at the time of death. Thus, life begins when Prana enters when a woman conceives and death happens when Prana departs! It is clear from the above that Maha Prana is not simply Air or Breath. The Upanishads therefore mention Prana as the oldest & the greatest (because a child starts breathing in the womb, even before the senses start to function).
How Maha Prana supports our body:
Maha Prana divides itself into fivefold in order to support our body. This fivefold Pranas are Apana, Prana, Vyana, Udana & Samana have been discussed in my previous blogs are called Pancha Pranas (<click for more information, if required) and also discussed in my blog below.
Maha Prana supports six main functions of the body:
- Prana or Breath – the vital force that is required for sustaining various functions of body.
- Speech – Upanishads say speech is “vaśiṣṭha” which means “most excellent one” and its literal translation is that which aids in covering one excellently. Communication skills are required to become the most excellent among people.
- Eye – because of sight provides us stability on the ground and helps in looking at the path ahead.
- Ear – those who can hear can study & gather knowledge quickly.
- Mind – the seat that controls above four functions, thereby understanding oneself & others.
- Semen – organ of procreation that is required for human life on earth to continue.
Maha Prana – the place where both merger & emergence happens:
Prana is commonly understood as breath or air by most people. But Upanishads state clearly proclaim that Prana is Supreme Brahman, (Supreme Brahman & the Holographic Universe <click here to know more about the nature of Brahman, if required) because at the time of death speech merges into mind, mind merges into Prana and finally Prana merges into the individual soul or “Jivatman” (at the microscopic level) which moves on to merge with the Supreme Brahman or Pramatman (at the macroscopic level). Upanishads make special reference to our mind and compare it to a tethered bird that keeps wandering all over the sky and finally comes to rest in the same place where is it fastened to (which is Prana). All the organs of our body function only because of the energy provided by Supreme Brahman.
Again during deep sleep, speech, mind & senses are in the state of complete rest as they seek refuge and rest in Prana. Only breath is active during deep sleep and we are oblivious to all that is happening externally or internally. Then when the man wakes up, these organs re-emerge from Prana, where they had gone to rest during deep sleep. All subtle entities thus merge & emerge from Prana! This can happen only if Prana is energized by Brahman, since it is from Brahman alone, where the evolution & dissolution of all entities of this universe happen. Prana is therefore is same as the individual soul which is a tiny part of the Cosmic Soul or the Supreme Brahman/Consciousness, where all elements merge & emerge on an individual level. A point of transition of subtle elements!
To conclude, Maha Prana is referred to as “Prana of Prana” in Bŗhad-āranyaka Upanishad 4.4.18. When it is said that the mind is tethered or tied to Prana, it is to be understood that Prana is not mere Air or Breath. It is subtler than this. Maha Prana is Brahman and Prana exists because of IT.
Where does Prana originate?
Mundaka Upanishad (2.1.1-3) states that just like from a powerful fire emanate thousands of sparks that goes in different directions, similarly, from Brahman comes forth all kinds of beings and they go back to Brahman. Brahman is unchanging or constant, formless & divine, without breath (Prana), without mind, pure and un-manifested. From Him emanates Prana, mind, sense organs, all elements (space, water, fire, earth & air) and then He sustains all of them. Essentially, creation starts from void or nothingness & it is to be noted that this void does not mean is not emptiness but Supreme Brahman.
The word used for the birth of Prana in the verse is jāyate which means “are born” or that which comes out from a source or emanates. So the word Jāyate is not used in the sense of creation. Prana is indicated as the first and later other organs such as mind, sense organs & the five elements are talked about later in this verse. Prana is Hiranyagarbha or Golden Womb (the initial manifestation of Brahman) where our souls exist in a subtle state and then they manifest as gross bodies in name & form, only to lose their name & form when they merge back into Hiranyagarbha. As stated in Nasadiya Sukta of Rig Veda only Brahman existed and hidden within its fold is Maya that causes Brahman to manifest this world.
The word Hiranya means “Golden” which symbolically means “Light” and “Garbha’ means “Womb”. Light is usually described in the Vedic texts as having golden hue or color (early morning sunlight that looks like a golden disc, for example). So, Hiranyagarbha is nothing but “Womb of Light”. Hence Prana that exists in the subtle state in Hiranyagarbha is nothing but “Pure Light”. We cannot see Prana when it departs the body after death, as pure light is not visible. Physics has taught us about the paradox of wave – particle duality of Light including the fact that both wave & particle cannot exist together at the same time! We as humans are a bundle of particles and in the quantum level, a bundle of waves!
Development of Prana in our Body:
All material objects are manifestations of that Pure Form – Supreme Brahman. Gross Elements are Fire, Water & Earth and the Subtle Elements are Air & Space. These Five Elements are referred to as “Pancha Mahabutas or Five Great Elements” (<click here to know more, if required), also referred to as the five “deities” and worshipped as Gods. Through a principle of “trivṛt-karaṇa” the three gross elements of fire, water & earth are divided into two equal portions, with one-half kept unaltered and the other half is divided into two equal parts (which is two quarters each). Then one half of the original element is added to two quarters of the other two elements. This ensures that all the three elements will have a portion of one another, while one of the three elements still remains dominant compared to the other two elements.
Colors were assigned to each of the three gross elements – red for fire (heat), white for water & black for earth. (In the Samkhya system the characteristics or qualities of man or Gunas were assigned similar colors viz. white for Sattva, red for Rajas & black for Tamas). Our forefathers or ancients could distinguish fire, water & earth based on the colors that appeared. If they could not decipher the color, it was concluded that it is mixture of these three elements. These gross three elements further become threefold when they come into contact with human beings.
As we are in the topic of Prana, we will discuss only about the threefold development of water (one of the three gross elements). Water when consumed by humans becomes triple: its coarsest part becomes urine, the middle part becomes blood and the subtlest part becomes breath (Prana). Thus, subtle part of water becomes breath as it moves upwards! So it is said that a person can survive on water alone for 15 days as it will not stop his breath (or continue to live). Water is not just hydrogen & oxygen as it also contains minerals that can sustain our body for a while. Food that comes from earth supports the mind & fire or heat supports speech. (Fire is the key element that is required for speech).
This is how the threefold development or manifestation of our world happens as per Chandogya Upanishad (Chapter 6).
Unique Nature or Characteristic of Prana:
The above section gave us an idea about the origin of Prana. In this section, we will understand the nature of Prana and how it helps in supporting the functionality of our body during the period of our life & beyond (i.e. at the time of death).
Total number of Pranas or Breaths in our body:
The various Upanishads mention the total numbers of Pranas in our body ranging from seven to thirteen. Brahman Sutras arrive at a final number of eleven as the total number of Pranas. These are the Five Sense Organs or Jnanendriyas (Ears, Eyes, Nose, tongue & Skin), Five Objects of Action or Karma Indriyas (Speech, Hands, Feet, Organ of Excretion & Organ of Procreation) & the Mind. These eleven Pranas are also called “Rudras” in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3.9.4). When these eleven exit the body, death happens and causes sorrow to our near & dear. Since their departure make us weep (Rudra means that which makes us weep), they are called the “Eleven Rudras – 10 breaths & the mind”.
As given above, the term “Breath” is used to mean the five senses organs + five organs of action. Therefore, “Breath” is used as a metaphor to describe the organs because at the time of death, speech merges into mind, mind merges into Maha Prana! This essentially means that all organs merge into Maha Prana. The term Maha Prana is subtle & used to differentiate it from other eleven Pranas. Also during deep sleep – speech, vision, hearing & mind unites with Maha Prana. Maha Prana functions like a sponge that absorbs and at the same time during deep sleep it also preserves our body!
Now coming to the Mind referred above, it has to control the senses organs, the objects of perception & action. Because the mind is involved in various functions it is called by various names like mind, intellect, memory and Ahamkara or Egoism, as if they are different from each other. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.5.3) states that it is the mind that causes desire, will-power, indecision, faith, want of faith, determination, Dearth of determination, embarrassment, intelligence, and fear. All these are nothing but the mind.
All organs are tied to the mind. When our mind is focused elsewhere, we cannot feel touch, hear sound or see an object and so on. Brahma Sutras says that Pranas are eleven in number and Maha Prana is the Chief Prana among Pranas.
Fivefold Division of Maha Prana:
From the earlier section, we can conclude that Maha Prana is neither merely Air nor related to any function of the organs. It also so because Prana is taught separately as a fourth part of Brahman that shines & provides a creative heat with the help of air as its light by utilizing the radiance of the “knowledge of Brahman” (Chandogya-Upanishad 3.18.4). This would mean that Prana is that which provides subtle heat (light) to create. (Often, Prana is also used as general term for inward & outward breath). Maha Prana and it fivefold divisions are given below:
- Apana – outgoing breath with downward movement.
- Prana – in-breath with upward movement, also used as a general or common term for in or out breath as already stated above.
- Vyana – that breath which spreads or diffuses all over the whole body, also serves as a link or union between Prana & Apana. Sustains life when there is no inhalation or exhalation (the pause between inhalation & exhalation).
- Udana – the breath which moves upward and in deep sleep serves as the link between the body & Brahman, also involved in guiding the individual soul after death.
- Samana – that which digests & nourishes our body, equalizing duration of inward & outward breath.
When Maha Prana starts to depart, the organs of senses & perception become feeble & weak and this signals the possible death of the body. This shows that the body and organs are dependent on “Maha Prana, Chief Prana or Foremost Prana” and these names are given only to differentiate it from Prana. Moreover, when air enters the body, it divides into five having individual special qualities mentioned above and no longer remains as mere air. Thus Maha Prana is neither a sense organ nor mere air. They are particles of pure Light!
Conclusion:
- It is Maha Prana that protects our body during our journey on earth and also carries us beyond i.e. as & when the soul departs. It sustains our body by dividing itself fivefold, known as Pancha Pranas and provides necessary sustenance & nourishment to our body & organs. It is the vital force & essence of all the limbs (organs) of the body. So from whichever limb the Maha Prana departs, that portion weakens or withers away first. It is said that the soul departs through the eye, from the head or from other small openings in the body, depending upon the level of realization of Brahman achieved by oneself.
- In the Upanishads, as explained above, Pranas are referred to as Rudras. In the Vedas, Rudras are identified with wind-gods called Maruts. Maruts are said to be wind energies that move back & forth from the sun & earth for the well-being & vitality of mankind.
- Scriptures advise us to sip water before & after the prayer/rituals which is called “acamana” (sipping water from the palm of the hand). Sipping water is done for both purification of man and also for providing a shield for Maha Prana. When the passage from mouth to stomach is moisturized, it is easy for Prana to be conducted & absorbed in our body. The science is simple, dry air is an insulator while moist air increases conductivity, thereby increasing Pranic energy! Also “Pranayama” creates new energized Pranic water in the mouth that enhances the vitality of our body.
- Subtlest part of water becomes Prana, the subtlest part of food that comes from earth becomes the mind & subtlest part of fire or heat becomes speech. Brahman manifests through the gross elements of WATER, EARTH & FIRE. Hence Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.5.3) states that the subtlest of the three elements – Maha Prana, Mind & Speech were designed by the Lord for himself. In view of this the Maha Prana has to be understood as being different from the other Pranas. It is pure light that is invisible and subtle. A person whose Maha Prana is pristine and spotless enjoys a long life!
Given below is a wonderful video filmed by me in the night sky. It shows two shorts bursts of light emanating from the sky above. Perhaps, this is how beings from a higher dimension indicate their presence to us mortals. Hence, the caption – “Pulses of Light” (watch in full screen)