Chapter-III
After that, Kousalya – the son of Aswala, asked the sage Pippalaada this: “O Sir! From where is this praanan generated? How does it enter this body? How does it split itself and pervades through and possesses the entire body? Why does it go out (of this body)? How does it bear the external worlds (adhi-bootha and adhi-deiva) and the internal one (adhi-aathma)?
To him he replied thus: “You are asking very complex questions; As you are one of the best ones inclined in knowing thy self, I shall answer your question.”
“This Praanan is generated from the Atma itself. Like the shadow attached to the body, the Praanan is closely attached and tied to the Atma. It comes in to the body by the operation of the mind.”
“The Praanan appoints other sub-forces to control and operate other organs, in as much the same way as a king appoints various officers and ministers to take care of distinct departments and functions.”
“The Praanan stations the force called Apaanan in Paaya (the seat) and Upastham (the genital openings); It positions itself in the eyes, ears, mouth and the nose to take care of such functions; In the hip and stomach portion, it seats the force Samaanan, which carries the sacrificed food throughout the body in a sequential and patterned way. From that only this seven prongs of fire (two eyes; two ears; two nostrils and one mouth) are given rise to.”
“This Jeevatma resides in the cave of heart which houses 101 nerve points. Each of them give rise to further branches of hundreds of nerves and sub-nerves, totaling up to 72,000 nerves. The force of Vyaanan passes through all such nerves.”
“The force of Udaanan, which passes upward through one of these nerves (called as the sushumnaa naadi), takes one to the heavenly worlds by good deeds done; it takes him to the dreaded demonic worlds by all sinful acts done; and by both form of acts performed, it takes one to the materialistic human world.”
“The Sun is the external Praanan; It activates the praanan residing within the being in his eye and rises up. The deity which resides in the earth is the one which activates and controls the force of Apaanan in the being. The force of Samaanan exists in the space between the Sun and the earth and it controls the Samaanan in the body. The Air filled in the space is the Vyaanan, which controls the Vyaana force in the body.”
“The light in the space is the Udaanan, which controls the Udaana force in the body. Hence, those beings whose Udaana force is dimmed down (the dead ones), attain re-birth with the sensory powers which were stationed in their minds.”
“This being becomes one with the Supreme Praanan with the thoughts that he carries at the time of his death. The Praanan of the being, which travels out with the Udaanan and Jivan, takes him to the destined place – depending on his deeds (as mentioned in one of the preceding paragraphs).”
“That wise one who understands the Praanan to be such, his generation does not decay. He attains immortality. On that, there is the following verse.”
“He who understands the generation, entry, stationing, controls and five divisions of the Praanan and the internal position of the Atma, he attains immortality. He verily attains immortality.”