Upanishad-Kath

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Kathopanishad-Page 6
p 77-82

A Field of Forces

Yam says - "Our Gross body is made of food we eat, and Subtle is a highly complex field of forces all made out of Praan. Desires, compulsions, rigid likes and dislikes are all powerful forces. With a little detachment we can push them in the direction where we want to take them. These forces shape our lives even at the physical level, because the balance of forces is related to our health too. In the long term, unstable mind brings physical problems.

Praan and Health

Praan is undifferentiated energy. Just as the Subtle body underlies the physical body, Praan underlies all the expressions of physical energy. Praan gives us life. The senses perceive only when Praan is present. Praan is not only for body, but it is energy for mind too. Force of a powerful desire can take us anywhere against our will. The force behind desires is Praan. When we love, reason, worry, resolve, conflict, choose, exercise patience, we draw on Praan. So the implication is highly practical that both body and mind draw on the very same power - Praan. When all the forces of the mind are in harmonious balance, we function at optimum health. The imbalance of these forces, for example, habitually trying to satisfy a particular kind of conditioned desire throws off the balance of Praan in the body too; and if this imbalance is prolonged, the part of the body begins to suffer.

When we are awake, Praan circulates throughout the body and senses, but when we are asleep or maybe when we are dreaming, it is withdrawn from the body and senses (Gross) into mind (Subtle). Although we do not hear, we do not smell, we do not see, still Praan is in circulation; only the senses are unplugged. Gross body is dead for the world, but the subtle body is sitting by light going over all her old impressions, arranging and rearranging them to suit her hopes, desires and fears. If you get up after an eight-hour sleep and you still feel that you are already tired as if you have been working all night, you are probably right; because your Subtle has been up and busy burning the mid-night Praan.

In dreamless sleep even the mind is still. Thus in that state, Praan is also withdrawn from the subtle body into the very core of the personality. In physiological terms, this is when the nervous system also rests and body repairs itself and the mind is refreshed. In profound meditation, we enter this state wakefully and this process heals both body and mind.

At the moment of conception, each of us comes into existence with a particular packet of Praan to last until death. (see Body on Page-6) Thus this Praan is the balance of our previous lives which is opened at the start of new life. We can draw on this balance as we choose but when it is gone, the vitality of this body comes to an end.

So to live is to spend Praan, here we have no choice, but we do have a choice as what to spend our Praan on. In fact, by some strange law, it is not the body that consumes Praan most, it is the mind which consumes it most. For example, the physical act of seeing consumes very little Praan, but to look at something very intensely draws on Praan very much. For example see somebody looking at the revolving wheel in a casino. It seems that his whole Praan is coming out of his eyes. Selfish desire (to win) throws open the doors of our senses and our Praan gushes out through them.

(1) Praan is limited in amount, and (2) Praan is spent more when our forces work hard. So we should conserve our Praan by stressing ourselves minimally. This may help in increasing our vitality too.

There is no connection between vitality and age. You may not be able to do hard work at an old age, but you can certainly have clear mind, sound judgment and a powerful will, if you have Praan. When Praan is dwindling, you become insecure, defensive and open to all kinds of stresses. Praan brings fire to a person brightness, brilliance, vigor, health, sensitivity. When Praan is overdrawn, usually through indulging in self-centered desires, the latter part of life becomes sorrowful. At that time desires are still there, but the capacity to satisfy them is gone. Who have played too much with their senses, their Praan is also gone too much.

Contd...

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