The "Tidbits" section of my blog is specifically for sharing good and thought provoking information from various Sanathan Dharma scriptures and lectures by scholars/gurus. These are not my works. I am presenting the information as it is by mentioning from which source it is taken. The information which I thought of sharing today is taken from "Prashna Upanishad". It contains six chapters, each one containing a question and answers to that question. What we are going to see today is the third chapter of this Upanishad, which involves questions and answers about "Life and Life Breath"
PRASHNA UPANISHAD
The Third Question
Kousalya : "O Sage" How is life born? How does it enter the body? How does this breath of life divide itself and reside in the body? How does it control external objects and how does it control the senses of the body?
Pippalada : "It is because you know about the Brahman that you are asking these questions. I will therefore tell you the answers".
"The breath of life is created from the Brahman. Just as the body has a shadow, the breath of life is the shadow of the Brahman. It is like a shadow that the breath of life resides in the body in order to perform acts that are desired".
"An emperor appoints officials to rule over villages. Like that, the breath of life appoints the other senses to rule over various parts of the body. Within the body, the breath of life divides itself into various parts. In the lower regions, it is known as Apana. In the upper regions of the nose, the eyes and the ears, it is known as Prana. It is there in the stomach and the digestive system as Samana. Samana is like a seven-tongued flame that digests the food".
"The soul resides in the heart. From the heart, there lead out one hundred and one main veins (mula nadi), Each of these is divided into one hundred branches (shakha nadi). Each of the branches is divided into seventy-two thousand sub branches (prashaka nadi). Vyana moves along these.".
(Vyana is that part of the breath of life which flows in the heart and the surrounding regions. There are 101 main veins. 101*100 = 10100 branches and 10100 * 72000 = 727200000 sub branches. This adds up to a total of 727210201 veins. (101+10100+727200000)
"There is a vein known as Sushumna. This leads up to the crown of the head and along this flows that part of the breath of life known as Udana. It is along this vein that the performers of righteous deeds go to righteous lands and the performers of evil deeds go to evil lands. Those who perform both good and evil are born in the land of men" (Death comes when udana penetrates the crown of the head).
"Living beings have different types of desires. It is these desires that pervade the breath of life at the time of death. The udana and the atman take the being to the abode beyond death".
"He who worships the breath of life, is never separated from his sons and grandsons. He unites with the breath of life and becomes immortal. The following shloka is about the breath of life".
"Know of the origin, arrival and existence of the breath of life. Know of its lordship over the five elements. these are the spiritual and natural manifestations of the breath of life. Worship the breath of life and become immortal".
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