What is Prana?
Question
Respected Dhananjay Ji,
I'm deeply grateful to you for putting in so much effort to show us the right path of Yoga.
I started practicing and reading about Yoga some years ago. Since then I have had some questions in my mind to which I have not been able to find satisfactory answers anywhere.
These questions are only indirectly related to Brahmacharya, so I'm not sure if I should ask them here.
Here are those questions. You may answer them if you find it proper:
Q1. What exactly is Prana?
Q2. Where is it stored in the body?
Q3. How to increase its quantity in the system?
Q4. What is the relation between will power and Prana?
Q5. Are memory and Prana related?
Q6. We do physical work by contracting our muscles. It can be shown in the laboratory that muscles are contracted by sending an electric current to the muscles. This current can even be measured. Where is this electric current produced in the body?
Thank you very much.
Answer
1. 'Prana' is the subtle most form of energy or vital force present within and without the body in the universe. It is the means of all movement on the physical plane and the means behind all thought in the mental plane. In other words, Prana is the net sum of the essences of all forms of energy in the universe. In the human body, Prana is responsible for all life, power, strength, energy, movement and the existence of the very body, mind, intellect, consciousness and ego. Breath is the gross most representation of Prana. If the body is an electric wire, then Prana is electricity. If the body thought of as an engine, Prana is the essence of the fuel driving it. In other words, Prana is the actuating force or energy without which this body and mind cannot exist; without which life itself cannot exist. Minus Prana, the body will disintegrate into destruction. This is what happens when the Atman (soul) leaves the body upon death. The Atman (Brahman) is the source of Prana. When the Atman departs, the Prana or vital energy which resulted in life also departs.
2. "Where is Prana not stored in the body?" would be a better question. There is not such a place in the entire body where it does not exist (in sense of the 5 constituent Prana's - Prana, Apana, Vyana, Samana and Udana), for had it not existed at a particular location, that part would die and rot away into destruction. Similarly, there is not such a place in this entire Universe where the cosmic universal Prana is not stored. Prana occupies the entire system in a state of equilibrium and promotes life and well being.
"Pranam Brahmethivya jaanath" - says the 'Taithriya Upanishad.'
"Know that Prana (vital energy) is one of the representations of Brahman (Almighty)"
It is through Prana that the Lord has created this world, maintains this world and finally destroys it. All energy holding together the atoms that make this universe is Prana and Prana alone and nothing else. All other forms of energy arise and take birth from this Prana. It is the source of all forms of manifest and unmanifest energy.
"If one were to impart this Prana vidya (knowledge of Prana) to a dried-up stump, sure, branches would be produced on it and leaves would grow." - says the realized sage 'Satyakama' in the 'Chaandogya Upanishad' after instructing his disciple on 'Prana Vidya'. Such is the life giving power of Prana.
3. Unbroken Brahmacharya in thought, word and deed and 'Samyama' (Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi meditations) on the Supreme results in an increase of the finest form of Prana. Breath, food and water are the sources of supplementing Prana in the gross plane. The Yogi after reaching the 'Sasmita' state of 'Sabija Samadhi' (Sabija super-consciousness) after many years of Brahmacharya with Pranayama and meditation becomes a complete Urdhvaretha and develops 'Vayu Siddhi' or 'Prana siddhi' (mastery over Prana), whereupon he can develop the 'Ashta Siddhis' (8 supernatural powers) leading to superhuman abilities if he so strives.
4. From the Brahman (Almighty) comes the Atman (soul). From the Atman springs the individual will. From the individual will is created Manas (mind) and Prana. Willpower is the master which directs the servant called Prana.
5. Memory and Prana are both directly and indirectly related from the physical as well as the energy point of view. An increase in Prana if channelized to the brain results in an increase in memory and all other mental faculties. Loss of Prana correspondingly results in loss of related faculties.
6. The current that controls the physical movement, expansion and contraction of muscles is again Prana. It comes from the Atman (soul). Its location is in the heart.
Prana, breath, mind and semen are all interrelated. Mastery over any one leads to mastery over the other three. For this reason, the Yogi performs longer and longer duration of Pranayama and eventually attains to 'Prana siddhi' (mastery over Prana) over many years, whereupon he attains mastery over his mind, mastery over his breath and mastery over his semen to become an Urdhvarethas.
ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)