Once prANa enters the body, it differentiates into various functional aspects. The Upanishad says:
पायूपस्थेऽपानं चक्षुःश्रोत्रे मुखनासिकाभ्यां प्राणः स्वयं प्रातिष्ठते मध्ये तु समानः । एष ह्येतद्धुतमन्नं समं नयति तस्मादेताः सप्तार्चिषो भवन्ति ॥ — 3.5, prashna.
[Meaning: He places apAna in the two lower apertures. prANa Himself, issuing out of the mouth and nostrils, resides in the eyes and ears. In the middle, however, is samAna, for this one distributes equally all the food that is eaten. From that issue out these seven flames.]
Thus, the one life-principle appears as many, assuming different roles within the body—while its source remains the same unmoving Self.
[Note: The gonads (2) + ears (2) + eyes (2) + the in-between (1) together constitute The Seven Flames. Fire is said to have seven tongues. The Sun (a form of Fire) is said to ride a chariot of seven horses.]
The vyAna is in the flow of blood. vyAna refers to its nature of being spread all over the body as blood circulation. The udAna is in the sushumna nerve which goes right up to the brain. The Sanskrit word sushumna means ‘shining well.’
The above distribution of prANa is in the body of each individual. Its corresponding distribution in the Composite body (samiShTi sharIra) is as follows:
The externally located Solar system is the prANa. Our lives are hence dependent on the Sun and his light. The Earth is apAna. The gravitational force that pulls towards itself is the downward flow of the apAna wind. The intergalactic space is the samAna. The air that is commonly existing everywhere is the vyAna. The temperature (or heat) is the udAna.
The fourth Sage posed the following question to Sage Pippalada:
भगवन्नेतस्मिन्पुरुषे कानि स्वपन्ति कान्यस्मिञ्जाग्रति कतर एष देवः स्वप्नान्पश्यति कस्यैतत्सुखं भवति कस्मिन्नु सर्वे सम्प्रतिष्ठिता भवन्तीति ॥ — 4.1, prashna.
[Meaning: “O’ Adorable Sir! Which are the organs that go to sleep in this person? Which keep awake in him? Which is the deity who experiences dreams? To whom occurs this happiness? In whom do all get merged?]
Which are the organs that are sleeping and which are awake in this body? Pippalada said that sleep is the time when the ear, nose and the eye stop working. Only the apAna and prANa parts of the life-principle would be awake during our sleep. The three states of consciousness (awake, dream and deep sleep) are by themselves a sacred ritual for a Knower (jnAni). It is a yajna (sacrificial rite). It is called the inner yajna.
The works performed by us are the external rituals. The fire in the stomach is the one which protects the body. The fire into which all offerings are made is in the mouth. Shankara observes that the opening on the right side of the heart is called the dakShinAgni (Fire on the right). The right side opening in the heart takes in the essence of the food that has been assimilated after digestion. The samAna maintains the respiration balancing the inhalation and exhalation. The udAna bestows the fruits of the yajna. The vyAna distributes the result of the ritual to all parts of the body when it rests for the day in sleep. The performer of the yajna is the mind. So he gets the fruits of the yajna. The mind thus experiences the result of the sacrificial ritual.
Shankara writes in his commentary:
सः उदानः एनं मनआख्यं यजमानं स्वप्नवृत्तिरूपादपि प्रच्याव्य अहरहः सुषुप्तिकाले स्वर्गमिव ब्रह्म अक्षरं गमयति । अतो यागफलस्थानीयः उदानः ॥ Shankara bhASya at 4.4, prashna.
[Meaning: The udAna causing the mind, the sacrificer, to cease his own activity, conducts him every day during sleep to the undecaying brahman, as to heaven. Therefore, udAna occupies the place of the fruits of sacrifices. Translation by Shri Sitarama Sastri] ]
The prashna Upanishad considers the dream state as the heaven and deep sleep as the Satya world. The Self is experienced in the Satya world (deep sleep). The individual experiencer is the mind. It merges with the ‘sat.’ udAna facilitates the experiencing of the result. Thus the mind is the one who does the ‘soma’ sacrifice ritual (yajna).
Shankara says that deep sleep provides the evidence for liberation. This is the ritual of the Knower when done knowingly. How one performs it knowingly is answered next.
विज्ञानात्मा सह देवैश्च सर्वैः प्राणा भूतानि सम्प्रतिष्ठन्ति यत्र ।
तदक्षरं वेदयते यस्तु सोम्य स सर्वज्ञः सर्वमेवाविवेशेति ॥ — 4.11, prashna.
[Meaning: O’ Amiable one! He becomes all-knowing and enters into all, who knows that Immutable wherein merges the cognizing Self – (the PuruSa who is naturally a knower) – as also do the organs and the elements together with all the deities.]
The individual gathering together the senses, life-principle etc., merges with the Imperishable. Whoever knows the Imperishable, he will be the Knower of all and he pervades all things. Knowledge is represented in us by the mind and action by life-principle. Their capacity is limited. When these two are of unlimited capacity, he will be Ishwara.
Regeneration of the cells of the body keeps the continuity of life. Inability to regenerate the cells is the death. One should appreciate that the individual has a capacity to experience only particulars. The Self has Universal experience.
The fifth question is about the means of achieving that Imperishable Knowledge. Pippalada says that the adoption of AUM for worshipful practice is only a support and it will not yield the merger. AUM has three syllables. They are perishable. They are not immortal. When the three sounds end and become soundless, the Self shines as Silence. The place of dissolution of the three sounds is the Self.
उपशान्तोऽयमात्मा इति । – 3.2.17, BSB
[Meaning: Silence is brahman.]
यत्तच्छान्तमजरममृतमभयं परं चेति ॥ — 5.7, prashna.
[Meaning: That which is the supreme Reality that is quiet and beyond old age, death and fear.]
The nature of the Self is, as described above, quietude, and is not subject to ageing, death and fear.
At the end of the five questions, Sage Pippalada enquired if there were any further questions. The sixth Sage, Bharadvaja, then said that he had a question which was posed to him by a prince. But he could not answer the prince as he himself did not know what to say. He confessed that he could not find a solution to that question thus far. With these words, he posed the sixth question.
षोडशकलं भारद्वाज पुरुषं वेत्थ । तमहं कुमारमब्रवं नाहमिमं वेद यद्यहमिममवेदिषं कथं ते नावक्ष्यमिति, समूलो वा एष परिशुष्यति योऽनृतमभिवदति तस्मान्नार्हाम्यनृतं वक्तुम् । स तूष्णीं रथमारुह्य प्रवव्राज । तं त्वा पृच्छामि क्वासौ पुरुष इति॥ — 6.1, prashna.
[Meaning: ‘Bharadvaja, do you know the Purusa (who is) possessed of sixteen limbs?’ To that prince I said, ‘I do not know him. Had I known him, why should I not have told you? Anyone who utters a falsehood dries up root and all. Therefore I cannot afford to utter a falsehood. Silently he went away riding on the chariot. Of that Purusa I ask you, ‘Where does Ho exist?’ (Trans: Swami Gambhirananda). ]
Pippalada responded to that question saying:
इहैवान्तःशरीरे सोम्य स पुरुषो यस्मिन्नेताः षोडश कलाः प्रभवन्तीति ॥ | — 6.2, prashna.
[Meaning: Here itself inside the body is that PuruSa. In who originates these sixteen digits (or limbs).]
The sixteen-limbed PuruSa is right within the questioner himself! He is in you, me, and in everyone. He exists spread over the entire body. Not only that he exists in all gross bodies; he exists in the subtle body, causal body and also the entire universe. The body, after all, is an adjunct – a costume for PuruSa.
PuruSa is variously defined as:
pUrNatvAt puruSaH — PuruSa is he who is perfect. [at 6.6, prashna bhAShya]
puri shayanAt puruSaH — PuruSa is the one who lies down in the city.
pUrNAt puruSaH — PuruSa is the one who fills everything.
When the sixteen limbs are there in potential form, the PuruSa is un-parted; when they are perceivable, he is parted.
(To Continue … … Part 17 (prashna 4))