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Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and My Self!

Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and My Self!

Author Archives: Aravind Venkatachalam

The Mahabharata inside you – Part III

16 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Aravind Venkatachalam in Knowledge

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

emotions, Events, Inspiration, Krishna, Life, Mahabharata, Mahabharatha, Pandavas, Spirituality, the Game

Even though the Mahabharata symbolism series of posts has generated a lot of interest from the readers, I promise this is the last post in it :). I have surely enjoyed researching and writing this series of posts and I hope you readers have to. I would love to write on all the major events in the epic and how they are related to each one of us but it would take too long and most of them would be abstract. We saw the symbolism of Kauravas and Pandavas. Now that you guys have the picture, I wanted to bring a closure by taking your attention to some of the major events in the Mahabharata. With these

The Game of Dice – represents the Game of Delusion. In childhood, the senses, and the development of the body, are governed by the soul’s powers of discrimination. As youth approaches, the strong sense desires are awakened, by temptations in this life and Samskaras (habit tendencies) of past lives. The game is very charming, and the princely faculties of discrimination are enticed into a deceitful game with the sense desires, and man stakes his entire bodily kingdom. He is overpowered by them, and the pure discriminative intelligence of the soul is ousted from the throne, and sent into exile. The Pandavas are lured into the game by Duryodhana which is how the mind deludes its own energies into playing this whole game which we call life. Yudhisthira and the Pandavas lose the game and are banished from the kingdom and sent into exile for 12 years, with a further 1 year in total anonymity.

12 years of exile – A spiritual aspirant, who is armed with the grace of his Guru, and the knowledge of Kriya Yoga, and with all faculties intact, can with perseverance, evolve spiritually within twelve years, to the point where he can wage a battle with the senses to reclaim this body kingdom. This is a known fact to Spiritual aspirants. It is written in many yogic texts that a aspirant has intensely practice for 12 years before he can completely win over this senses which in turn control the mind. In the 12 years that the Pandavas are banished, they had to go through various events where they grow spiritually.

The One Year in Anonymity –  refers to the period when the aspirant, having attained a lofty height of spiritual evolution, i.e., he has attained Yudhistira’s calmness, Bhima’s Pranayama, Arjuna’s nonattachment, Nakula’s adherence, and Sahadeva’s power to resist evil, he is now ready to immerse himself in states of Samadhi. In the state of Samadhi, the Sadhaka is withdrawn from the world, and all that is worldly, immersing him in states of consciousness. In the State of Samadhi, one’s consciousness is not in the material world, but in the supreme consciousness, hence, why the Pandavas were incognito, to the people around them.

Kurukshetra – the Land (field) of the Kurus, is the symbolic representation of the body. Kurukshetra is formed from the Sanskrit roots, kri meaning work, material action, and ksetra means field. So this Field of Action is the body, on which all activities of life, take place.

Bhagavad Gita

Bhagavad gita – In our  inner conflict when we lose peace, it is the aspect of  knowledge in us that is confused needs clarity. This aspect in us that seeks teaching represents Arjuna. As we already discussed Arjuna represents bondage it seeks freedom to attain the kingdom of Peace. It seeks Krishna the manifestation of pure Consciousness. We seek for clarity a teacher, a Guru. What we seek outside is already in us. The external teacher helps us to seek our internal teacher Krishna, the pure consciousness. The dialogue between the Krishna and Arjuna is Bhagavad Gita.

KRISHNA – Lastly, who is Krishna? Krishna the manifestation of pure Consciousness. Consciousness is the “being” of every form and formless in this universe. The reflection of that Consciousness  is awareness. Krishna is the cousin and brother -in-law of Arjuna and interestingly Krishna is the father-in-law of Duryodhan’s daughter, that is , Krishna’s son married Duryodhan’s daughter Lakshmana. So Krishna is related to both the positive and negative groups of  brothers. This is why Indian God’s are represented with three faces. The two faces on the sides represents the pair of opposites of the same body. Explains that both positive and negatives qualities resides in us. I can go on writing about Krishna.

So here are the symbolisms of the characters and events in Mahabharata. It is not just another long story that happened long time ago. It is happening right now right her within you. If you believe in these allegoric events, then read the Mahabharata again. Only this time see if you can relate to these characters for they lived and died(mortally) to relate to us.

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The Mahabharat within you – Part II

14 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by Aravind Venkatachalam in Knowledge

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Anahata Chakra, Chakras, Draupadi, Elements, emotions, Energy, energy centers, Feelings, Kundalini, Mahabharata, Mind, Panadavas, spinal column, spinal cord, tattwas

Here is the introduction and the Part I for those who missed it. The previous post talked about the Kauravas and their symbolism. Lets talk about the pandavas now. Before we go there here is a primer on energy centers or chakras in our body that hold the secret to human existence according to the tantric philosophy.

chakras

Chakras are the energy centers in the body which are storehouses of spiritual energy. They vitalize the physical body replenishing all the parts of the body. They are 7 major chakras along the spinal cord. Each of these chakras are associated with particular emotions and spiritual progress. You might be wondering why are we talking on the chakras when we are supposed to talk about the Pandavas. Right? They are related. The pandavas represent the first 5 chakras in our body. You will understand when we deal with each of the pandavas. Here we go!

Pandu – the younger brother of Dhritarashtra represents wisdom. Which was represented by his white color. This wisdom matures with experience and hence gives the ruling power to the blind mind, until the children of wisdom are ready. His wife Kunti represents the power of dispassion while his second wife Maadri represents the attachment to dispassion. Pandu has got 5 sons, 3 sons with Kunti and 2 sons with Maadri. The sons of Pandu represents the 5 elements which in turn represents the 5 energy chakras in our spinal column.

Yudhistira – Yudhi means in the battle, sthira means tranquil or undisturbed. Yudhi-stra is the symbol of peace and the  sky or ether element of Pancha Bhootas. Sky is the bridge of transcendence to the conscious state and  represented as throat chakra(Vishuddhi chakra). Ether remains unchanged, and undisturbed by the violent plays of nature’s forces.

Bheema – is Prana, the Power of Vitality, the Air Element in the Dorsal Center, or Anahata Chakra. He is the son of the Vayu deva, the God of Wind. The aspiring Sadhaka, practices his Pranayama that is controlled by this center, thereby calming the breath and controlling the mind and all of its sense objects. The breath has got such a strength that it can destroy all tendencies of the mind. That is why Bheema kills the 100 sons of Dhritarashtara. The breath also brings the awareness of “oneness”. The ignorance of duality dissolves in the purity of  “Love” and is represented as heart chakra(Anahata Chakra). Know more secrets of your breath in this article.

Arjuna – Arjuna the third represents fire element. Rajju means rope or bondage and na means no. This represents that we are really not bonded, but free. Arjuna represents the liberating thoughts in us and brings peace. Arjuna is the enquiring mind. The enquiring mind burns like fire and destroys the darkness of ignorance. This burning fire is what needs to be given direction and that is why out of the five brothers Arjuna was taught Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna represents the mastering the “Heat or Power” of senses symbolized as the navel chakra(Manipura Chakra). This center is for the purification of mind and body, making intense meditation possible.

Nakula, is Adherence, the Power to Obey Rules of Dharma, the Water Element in the Sacral Center, or Swadhishthana Chakra. Adherence to Dharmic principles, allows the Sadhaka to control mental tendencies.

Sahadeva, is Restraint, the Earth Element in the Coccyx Center, or Muladhara Chakra. He is the Power of Resistance by which restless outer sense organs can be controlled.

The structure of the spinal cord also shows a differentiation supporting the divisions of the three sons of Kunti, with the two sons of Madri. The spinal column extends to the level of the lumbar vertebrae, as one solid structure. From the lower lumbar to the coccyx, the spinal nerves with their ganglia, extend downwards like the tail of a horse, and has been named cauda equina (horses tail). It has the same origin, (as in having the same father) but are at the same time different. They are the location of the 2 sons of Madri. Also significant to the spiritual aspirant (Sadhaka), is the function of the first three chakras, versus the last two. The first three are important in the inner spiritual activities of the spiritual aspirant; the lower two, are important for the purification of his external activities.

Draupadi – You could have guessed the representation of Draupadi. She was the wife of all the five pandavas which means she stays with each of them for some time and moves on to the other. She represents the feminine kundalini energy which travels through the spinal column to all the chakras on her path. Kundalini , which is metamorphically represented as Draupadi , the five hooded (meaning the five elements ,energies ) Snake. She is the one who connects the individual soul to the universal soul.(the connecting cord between MAN and Paramathman)The fire that propels it is called KUNDALINI Shakthi. That is the reason she was born out of fire. Draupadi is thus wedded to the five elements which makes the MAN. Here is another titbit – It is said that Bheema(air) was the one who loved Draupadi the most. That is why breath is used to awake the rise the Kundalini inside you!

We can see that the Mahabharata is not just another grandeur story that happened long time ago. It is something that is happening right now. Inside us. Every moment we live, there is a mahabharata happening. In my next post, I will go over some of the incidents that happened in the mahabharata with their symbolism.

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The Mahabharata within you! – Part 1

13 Sunday Apr 2014

Posted by Aravind Venkatachalam in Knowledge

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Body, desires, Ego, emotions, HInduism, Mahabharata, Mind, Scriptures, Spirituality, Story, Symbolism, thoughts

Two families. Five brothers against a Hundred. A story spanning four generations. Aerial attacks, Ufos, Aliens, Atomic bombs and many many more. That is just a part of the Mahabharata for you. If you have not had the chance the read it, here is the Mahabharata in 36 tweets for you.

The author of the epic used the real incident and weaved  symbolic images to reflect our own inner conflicts. Using these images if we dive deep into our inner self, we will be able to appreciate the mystery of our own mind and life. Recently, I had a chance to read many versions of it with their story changed. Even though there were good efforts with good intentions, I felt that a lot of people haven’t explored the inner essence and symbolism of the characters, events, their interactions, etc. It is imperative to know the inner symbolism of the characters and its representation to grasp the immensity of Mahabharata. I have been wanting to write on it but had to do some research on it to get it right. So here is a write up of what the characters meant and why is it important to know this. To deal with all the characters at once would be over whelming. We will take a group of characters and few events in a series of posts. Lets deal with the Kauravas first.

Cast of the Mahabharata series

Cast of the Mahabharata series

Dhritarashtra – The blind king of Hastinapura represents the our mind. More than that – our blind mind. Without the intellect’s discriminating power. Hence the blindness. His wife Gandhari represents the intellect power. The intellect can see. However, when the intellect gets smitten with emotion it gets blinded too. This is indicated by Gandhari blinding herself after being married to Dhritarashtra. The result is devastation and destruction. The blind mind has got many desires and tendencies in it and is the abode of emotions and feelings.

Five are senses of knowledge or perception the eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin (Gnanendriyas). The other five are the senses of action-mouth, hands, feet, genital organ and anus (Karmendriyas). There are 10 directions north, south, west, east, north east, south east, south west and northwest and up and down. When the mind and intellect run blindly in all 10 directions and functions through 10 sense organs , give rise to hundred desires, thoughts, ambitions, expectations and dreams. These are the children of the mind and symbolized as the 100 sons in Mahabharata.

Duryodhana – the first son. The main thought of the mind is always ‘I, me, Mine’. This is called the ego. So he represents the first and fore most thought of the mind – the EGO. The mind cant control the ego very easily. That is why Dhritarashtra couldn’t control Duryodahana and always swayed by his son’s wishes. ‘Duh‘ means difficult and ‘yodhana‘ means to fight. Ego is something that was difficult to fight against. It is the Ego feeling or  “I” thought that craves and falls into addiction. All mental and physical problems stems from the “I” feeling.  The “I”  feeling instead of helping the body, ruthlessly rips off health of the body.  “I” want to experience  spicy taste no matter my stomach hurts and develop ulcers.  “I” want to experience to “refresh” with coffee no matter if it dehydrates my body  and make my body cells suffer in thirst. “I” want to experience dull-mindedness with alcohol  no matter if it hurts my liver and all other body organs. I want to do something even though my doctor has asked me not to because I already booked it! (targeted remark). 🙂

The moment the Ego gets the mind to dance to its whims and tunes, the body is completely forgotten. That is why Dhritarashtra was caught completely in the whims of Duryadhana and gave in to most of his wants. As a king, he didnt listen to his subjects which represent the body. The blind mind always tries to give importance to its ego – Dhritarashtra wants his son to be crowned as the prince of the kingdom. Like this you can find so many instances of how the mind empowers the ego and the ego runs rampage in our mind. This is so beautifully portrayed in the mahabharata with various events. The next time you read the mahabhrata, see if you can relate to the same happening with in you.

Dhritarashtra had a son named Yuyutsu with a vaishya(worker) clan woman. Yuyutsu was always on the path of dharma even though he was with the Kauravas. He does defect to the Pandavas just before the war. Kind of an equal to Vibhishana of Ramayana. He represents the desire to give psychological battle to the bad things the mind comes up with but is not as powerful as the ego and desires. This shows the mind is capable of producing good thoughts but these are not strong enough. In my next post, I will bring out the Pandavas and many other events within the mahabharata and its significance.

[COURTESY : Discourses on Bhagavad Gita by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Eswaran and Symbolism of Mahabharata article]

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Which yoga should I practice?

11 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Aravind Venkatachalam in Katha Vidya, Knowledge

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Bhakti, Bhakti yoga, jaggi vasudev, Jnana yoga, Knowledge, Kriya, Kriya yoga, Sadhguru, Selfless, Service, Seva, Yoga

[NOTE: this blog post is not to hurt anyone following any particular practice of yoga. This is plainly my perspective and view of what I think :)]

I was conversing with a friend and our talk took us to how our spiritual practices were faring. Deep into the conversation we started discussing the different types of yoga that we do and what is to be followed and practiced. Strangely, recently I have been coming across many people who follow a particular type of yoga and only that. For those dont know the different types of yoga – there are broadly classified into four types. (NOTE : The different yogas are very broadly classified and simply defined. Each of these yoga have deep spiritual significance in their own right. Yes, there are so many yogas – raja yoga, swara yoga, etc. I have just the four most followed yogas here).

  1. Jnana yoga – Yoga of Knowledge and Intelligence
  2. Bhakti yoga – Yoga of devotion
  3. Karma yoga – Yoga of selfless service
  4. Kriya yoga – Yoga dealing with energy

It might be due to the various teachings in the scripture and in the tradition of teaching that we stick to one particular path. This was taught probably because you don’t go around trying all different things and don’t get result anywhere. Though I get that, I believe that these are different but INCLUSIVE ways to reach the highest. Not exclusive. And as a seeker, we need to tap into all of these in order to get help and progress. You will notice that these different types of yoga are complementary to each other. This conversation reminded me of a story which I had heard from a Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and wanted to share it here.

There were four yogis walking together. They were Jnana yogi(one who follows the path of intelligence and knowledge), bhakti yogi(follows devotion), karma yogi(follows selfless service as path of yoga) and lastly a kriya yogi(one who follows a path that deals with rising up the energy). Usually all these four yogis, don’t stay together. The jnana yogi thinks all others are a fool. Especially those who go on singing the name of God. In his mind these acts are utter foolish. The bhakti yogis have pity for everyone. Because they think that when God is here, why do all these actions and what use is knowledge. Rather just take his hand and walk to him. So they have pity for others. The karma yogis think all these other people are lazy because when you want some thing to happen you should do it. Because they are lazy and unwilling to do they have invented all the other yogas. So they feel the others are lazy. Lastly, the kriya yogis have utter disdain for every body because for them the entire universe is because of energy and without transcending the energy, there is no possibility. Due to all these reasons, these four people don’t come together. 

But today these four yogis were walking together when the rain storm hit them. They were running from getting wet when the bhakti yogi said that he knew a historic temple close by where they can take shelter. So they all go to this temple. The temple is a very old temple with just collapsed walls and just a few columns and a roof. In the center there was a deity of the God. They ran to this place not seeking God in love but to escape the rain. They stood in the temple in four corners. The rain started lashing in all directions and all the four yogis were getting drenched. The only place they could sit was around the deity in the center. They sat around the deity hugging and holding the deity and each other. Again not because out of love or seeking. Just to escape the rain. 

Suddenly God came to them. In all their minds, there came the same question – “WHY NOW? We did so much yoga, did so many pooja(rituals), read so many scriptures(knowledge) and so many things. You didn’t come then. Why now?”. God said – “At last, you four idiots got together. That is why!”. 

The idea here is unless your head(knowledge_, your heart(bhakti – devotion), hands & legs(that is needed for selfless action) and energy(kriya) get together and reach the peak together enlightenment will not dawn. These different yogas are different avenues to help us develop our selves and we need to tap into all of these to peak. So get to know all the types of yoga and enjoy each of them as much as the one you practice. You dont have master all of them but get to know them and practice them and check for yourself. They will only help you in different ways. So infuse all these different types of yoga in your practice and be more happy!

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In those moments

07 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by Aravind Venkatachalam in Poems

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Tags

break, cry, dark, emotions, heart break, Love, moments, night, Poem, Poetry, Relationship

 
Those moments in the dark..
Those moments in the dark..
Night so quiet and stark
Raising pain in the heart
Dreams left to fall apart
Looking through gazed vision
Of life’s important mission
Between incomplete sections
Toyed with emotions
Those moments in the dark..
 
Body shaping like a bent arc
Tears left uncried
Lying, bound and tied
Laughing the diction
Freeing the anticipation
Joy, once mine
Now belong to different time
Oh, Those moments…

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Handling Mistakes by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

06 Sunday Apr 2014

Posted by Aravind Venkatachalam in Art Of Living

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Tags

Art of Living, inspirational quotes, Mistakes, Quote, Sri Sri, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

There are three different ways how people handle mistakes

1. Seeing one’s own mistake as small while others mistakes are big

2. Better than that is seeing one’s mistake as big as much as other’s mistake

3. The best way is seeing a mistake as a mistake alone. It is neither his nor mine.

– Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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What you should know about Prana?

04 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Aravind Venkatachalam in Art Of Living, Knowledge

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Art of Living, Happiness, health, Knowledge, Meditation, Mind, negative emotions, Prana, Prana Vidya, Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, thoughts, wellness, Yoga

I had promised to do a write up about prana, the various types and what its functions are in my previous post Prana and Food. So here it goes. This post if to introduce prana to those who dont know what it is, list the different types and its functions. Also explain how techniques like sudarshan kriya technique from the Happiness program of the Art of Living foundation deals with prana to provide good health and mind.

What is Prana?

Prana is often translated to breath. However, prana is much more subtle than breath or the oxygen we intake. Breath is just the physical manifestation of prana. The inherent quality and force behind the motion of this creation is prana. It is present in anything and everything in this world. Animate or inanimate – doesnt matter. Every particle is throbbing with prana. Sometimes it is so subtle that we are not aware of it. A living entity is called as prani in sanskrit because it has got prana and consciousness in it. The quantum and quality of prana varies across different entities thereby giving each entity a unique characteristic. This is true for us human beings too. The quantum of prana of each individual is indicated by the power of the personality, which reflects one’s natural capacity to wield prana. Some persons are more successful, commanding and fascinating than others due to the level of their prana. All of us are born with a certain quantum of prana but the quality and quantity keep changing continuously as our thoughts, feelings and practices changes.

So where can we get more prana from? And do we change it ? Prana can be self generated and refined within us. One can work with one’s own prana to enhance vitality, will and strength, cure diseases, boost capability and efficiency, and evolve to a higher consciousness. In fact, one must work with prana shakti, force of prana, in order to perfect any experience in life. This is the aim of pranayama and prana vidya, which are tangible methods to enhance and guide prana. The yogis have devised techniques to measure prana which is based on how we exhale and inhale. Maximum prana is utilized by the brain. If the brain is not supplied with sufficient prana, the mind becomes restless and disturbed, and constantly dives into negative thoughts. For example, when we are hungry, we become irritable. The prana is low at that time and brain circuits are asking for more. When prana moves, the mind thinks and the senses perceive their respective objects. By developing sensitivity to prana, one becomes more aware of the subtle forces of the mind, which arise in the form of thoughts, feelings, emotions, responses, impressions, symbols and knowledge. By doing pranayama, we cultivate this awareness which helps is controlling the mind.

Types of Prana

There are 5 major types of pranas in our body with each of them having unique and specific functions. There are called as pancha prana or pacnha vayus(pancha meaning 5 and vayu meaning air). They are prana, apaana, samaana, udaana and vyaana. These are responsible for creation and existence at the individual level. In human beings they are created during the first four months of development in the womb. Lets discuss these 5 pranas in detail now

1. Prana – This prana refers to the energy currents located in the thoracic region between the diaphragm and the base of the neck. It is the centre of circulation of life energy. This force maintains the heart and lungs, and all the activities in the chest region such as breathing, swallowing and circulation of blood. When the rate of breath or heartbeat increases due to strenuous work, etc. the level of sthoola prana also increases. This force is so essential that if its activity is obstructed or ceases for any reason, death may occur. When this is strong, then the heart is strong and does not suffer from high or low blood pressure. When the pathways of prana are not clear, the heart and lungs malfunction and there is poor intake of oxygen. At the mental level, one is not able to bring in positive impressions. It is difficult to concentrate or access intuitive knowledge.

2. Apana – This prana operates in the pelvic region between the navel and the perineum. It sustains the functions of the kidneys, bladder, bowels, excretory and reproductive organs. It is responsible for the expulsion of gas, wind, faeces, urine, semen and ova. It nourishes the foetus and expels it from the uterus at the time of birth. When apana is unbalanced, there is poor elimination, a feeling of being pulled down by gravity, depression and negativity.

3. Samaana – It operates between the navel and the diaphragm. The word samana is derived from the root saman, meaning ‘equal’ or ‘balanced’. Thus it acts as a balancer or equalizer for the two opposite forces of prana and apana. Samana activates and maintains the digestive organs and their secretions, and is responsible for metabolism. It is associated with the digestive fire, jatharagni. Samana, the equalizer, is dis-turbed whenever one’s mental peace and harmony are disturbed. Whenever there is turbulence in the body and the senses, samana becomes agitated and causes disorders. Poor assimilation of food is a result of samana imbalance, causing build-up of toxins as well as psychological blockage.

4. Udaana – This operates in the extremities: the arms, legs, neck and head. This prana is responsible for all the sensory organs,jnanendri-yas, and the organs of action, karmendriyas. It coordinates and controls the movements of the legs, arms and neck and directs the activities of the brain and sensory organs that are situated in the head region. These include: eyes, vision; ears, hearing; tongue, taste; nose, smell; skin, tactile sensation. Udana sustains the sense organs and their activities. The enjoyment of senses keeps udana active, because it functions according to their needs. An irregular udana causes breathing troubles, inefficiency in physical and mental work, inability to think clearly or express oneself, uncoordinated speech, weakened will and lack of cheer.

5. Vyaana – This pervades the whole body and acts as reserve energy. It helps all the other pranas when they require an extra boost. When one overexerts and feels extremely tired, a rush of energy comes, which enables one to continue. When vyana, the expansive energy, is unbalanced, there is lack of coordination, tremors, inability to reach out to people, and the mind is erratic.

This picture clearly shows where the different pranas operate in our body.

5 pranas

Along with these 5 major pranas, there are 5 other smaller or sub pranas. These are: naga, koorma, krikara, devadatta and dhananjaya. The pancha vayus are grosser and more limited manifestations of energy compared to the pancha pranas. Their functions are below.

Naga: This field of activity causes belching and hiccups. When the air element is agitated, naga becomes active and tries to throw the agitated air out of the stomach, causing vibrations in udana, prana and samana. Naga remains inactive as long as the diet and digestion are healthy. In the state of meditation, naga does not function.

Koorma: This field causes the blinking of the eyes and keeps the eyes healthy, moist and protected. It enables one to see all objects. The eyes shine due to the energy of koorma and one appears impressive.

Krikara: This field causes yawning, hunger and thirst, and assists in respiration. Due to its relation with yawning, its origin is sloth and lethargy. When krikara is controlled with practice, sloth and sleep are overcome, hunger and thirst are controlled, and sweet secretions begin to flow in the mouth.

Devadatta: This field causes sneezing and aids in respiration. It becomes activated by sharp or irritating smells and causes pain in the nostrils in more intense conditions.

Dhananjaya: This field pervades the whole body and is related to the organ of touch. It influences the work of the muscles, arteries and veins, and the skin. The swelling experienced during an injury is due to the motion of dhananjaya. During a tamasic state it reinforces sloth in the body.

 In the course of daily life, worry and stress use maximum prana, so that the pranic fields become exhausted and discharged. This in turn causes fatigue, depression, and inefficient digestion and circulation. As this vicious cycle continues, the body does not have the strength to walk, work or think, and the smallest disturbance causes nervousness and anxiety. In order to remedy this, the pranas need to be charged constantly, so their functioning is optimized and balance is maintained. This is the first objective of pranayama, which charges and replenishes the pranas through the practices. When the pranas are sufficiently charged, they are awakened.

How does Pranayama & other techniques help?

When pranayama is practiced for a long time, the pranas are kept balanced and all organs of our body function normally. The number of thoughts in our mind becomes lesser which helps us to focus better. A breathing technique like sudarshan kriya balances all these pranas and helps in removing the existing toxins in our body. That is the reason a lot of people report huge health benefits after practicing the sudarshan kriya. I have heard a lot of people report that their asthma and lung related problems got cured. Some say their digestive problems have been cured and their digestion has improved. Others say their long time constipation and bowel movement related problems have vanished. All these are because the kriya balances out all the major pranas in the body. The lung related disorders were cured because the prana was balanced. The digestion disorder was taken care because samaana vayu was balanced. And Apaana vayu for elimination and bowel movement. The kriya takes care of the upa vayus too.

If you get a chance, learn some pranayama techniques or some kriya techniques, like sudrashan kriya, from a proper teacher or guru. Practice them and see for your self how the knowledge of these pranas and how you feel when you are able to balance them. Check it for yourself. Hope you learnt something from this long post!

(Thanks to the many, many books that I have read on Prana. Most of these information are from what I have collected from most of them. One book in particular is Prana and Pranayama by Swami Niranjananda Saraswati. Thanks again to these wonderful beings for sharing their knowledge with us!)

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Tears from thy crying heart..

04 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Aravind Venkatachalam in Poems

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Tags

Broken, Crying, Heart, Love, Poem, Poetry, Relationship, Tears

Another one of my poems from the eons…

Tears from thy crying heart…

 
Falsified emotions rising up tonight,
Feeling of betrayal in all its might.
Concealed conversations causing caustic commotions,
Feeding thoughts of doubts ‘n’ suspicions.
Darkness crying out this soul’s destiny,
Tears from the heart spitting misery.
Tears from thy crying heart…
 
Deafening silence slithering inside,
Loneliness accompanying this woeful ride.
Subconsciously seeking those ignorant ecstasies,
Enchanting melancholy upon bitter fantasies.
Soulful rhythms only to be heard,
Tears from the heart to be shared.
Tears from thy crying heart…

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One Love

03 Thursday Apr 2014

Posted by Aravind Venkatachalam in Poems

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

equal, One Love, Poem, Poetry

I was going through my online archive content and found out a collections of poems that I had penned down when I was in college like 10 years back. It is funny to see how many of my poems were about relationships – the theme of my life then :). I had blogged them on a yahoo service called Yahoo 360! which was taken down couple of years ago. Since I didn’t want to miss my spurts of creativities, I had them archived down only for me to unearth it later. I will be posting some of my works, especially poems, on my blog just for me to read it later and feel nostalgic!!! Yay!

Here is one of my short and sweet one called ‘One Love’.

ONE LOVE

The dark and the bright
The left and the right
Smiles and tears
All my fears
Screams and Silence
Saintness and violence
 
A friend and a foe
Every place I go
All my dear souls
Even their distant goals
My Days of old
Every things I told
 
Every single emotion
The journey and the destination
Every one and all
People big or small
Every single breadth
Life and death..

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You Never Know by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

02 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Aravind Venkatachalam in Art Of Living

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Art of Living, Poem, Poetry, Sri Sri, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

You Never Know..

You Never Know..

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Aravind Venkatachalam

is a senior software engineer living in the Bay area. He is a devotee of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and volunteers for the Art of Living Foundation. He uses this blog to share his ideas on ancient wisdom from the Puranas and from Sri Sri along with many other stories and juicy stuff!!

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