Word of the day: praana

Praana deserves the very best:

Excerpt from “The Beauty of Scriptural Wisdom” by Paramahamsa Hariharananda Giri (from “Ocean of Divine Bliss” The Complete Works of Kriya Yoga Master Paramahamsa Hariharananda vol. 8).

Prana

Prana means life, and it means breath or vital energy. It is the strength in the body, and the source of all activities. It is the mystical power about which few know. A common question arises: from where does life come and where is it abiding in human beings? The yogic texts describe it:


prano hi bhagavan isha prana Vishnu pitamaha

pranena dharyate lokam sarvam pranamayam jagat


“Prana is Lord Shiva (the destroyer). Prana indeed is Lord Vishnu (the sustainer) and the creator, Brahman. Prana alone is the upholder of the universe, and everythingis permeated by prana.”

Prana is abiding everywhere, in the whole system. You feel sensations in your body parts, which means there is life force there. There is a beautiful mantra from the Mundaka Upanishad (3:1:4) about prana.


prano hi yesha yah sarva bhutair vibhati

vijanan vidvan bhavate nativadi

atmakrida atmaratihkriyavan

esha brahmavidam varishthah


“This one, verily, is the prana which shines divergently through all beings. Knowing this, the wise or the realized one never engages in debate or talk. He sports in the Self, rejoices in the Self, and becomes a true kriyavan. This person is the best among those who know Brahman.”


prano hi yesha yah sarva bhutair vibhati


“That life force is remaining everywhere, but more manifested in every human being.”

Sarva bhutair vibhati also means “in all elements.” Thus, it becomes omnipresent. Prana is the tranquil life energy, manifested or unmanifested. For example, in the seed, life is unmanifested as a tree. It is there in all its glory. This tranquil life energy is manifested in all living beings, starting with plants and insects, and ending with the last creation, humans, in the form of breath. Thus, breath becomes the real indicator of life.

Breath is the door to open to both restlessness and calmness. It depends upon how you use it. If you meditate deeply and seek God within, you will get calmness, automatically. You will hear the divine sound, and all negativities will gradually disappear. You will get Truth. You will have the real knowledge of who you are. Here are a few steps:

1. First perceive the beauty of the breath in you.
   
   
2. Then try to perceive the presence of breath in all living beings.
   
   
3. Experience the presence of prana everywhere.
   
   
4. Realize prana is God. This is prana vidya, or the science of prana.