PRA, NDA AND KUALIN 6.1. 6.2 Currents of Pra are the vibrations of consciousness.

The extreme grossness the currents assume is called suira or cavity and serves as a channel that connects different parts of the body together. The physical gets interlinked in itself as well as with the vital on account of the breath serving as an agent of the vital. The vital derives its power of connectivity from consciousness which is an undivided continuum of being and becoming. The reality in all its formations is interlinked by a contiguous chain whose contiguity rests on the immutable law of the universal force of consciousness constituting the basis of the unity of all things. Discontinuity in the experience of the unity of consciousness is the result of disruption in the flow of this force by factors, mental, vital and physical. These turbulences disturb the unity of consciousness by splitting it up into disparate elements. This marks a transition from continuum to process. The dynamics of consciousness becomes manifest in the unending cycle of creation and destruction stretching from the infinite to the infinitesimal. The process of differentiation among organic beings starts with the emergence of the vital breath from Consciousness. In its descent from the higher regions, consciousness adds life to mind, sensation and motor reaction to the body through the ns which serve as channels through which it takes the form of nda, the vitalising resonance of awareness. The body of the individual thus becomes the temple of Consciousness along with head as the treasure-chest of it.

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Ns are the channels of consciousness serving as the base of the latter in its operation on the mental, vital and physical planes. These are principally ten in number and radiate in a circle starting from the navel. From the navel they travel to all parts of the body branching out into 72,000 and permeating the body and ensuring free circulation of the vital breath to every part of the organism. Each one of the branches is as subtle as a part of hair divided lengthwise into a thousand. These have a fluid of several colours flowing through them. The fluid is the bearer of sensations, motor reactions as well as of memories. Of the ten primary channels, three are the most important for the practice of yoga. Out of these three, the most important is suumn which extends from the brahmarandhra or cavity of Brahman to the genital region like the central rib of a leaf. It is through this nd that the vital-force of consciousness moves down throughout the body, and through it rises up again as the pra kualin. The purpose of its upward movement is to get restored to its original status in consciousness and reunite the microcosm with the macrocosm. Suumn n is also known as cinn and jnastra, the string of consciousness. To the left and the right of the suumn run i and pigala ns for descent and ascent of breath and sustenance of life. When the vital breath travels through the suumn on the level of consciousness, the yogin enters into the cidka resulting in the expansion of his awareness. By fixing his attention on the void between the breaths, the yogin experiences expansion of consciousness in the midst of the two.

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The process of descent gets then reversed as the bodily consciousness merges into thought, thought into mind and mind into the Heart of consciousness. The irregularity in the movement of the breath is thus eliminated. Then the yogin breathes freely with mindfulness and experiences inner peace, citta virnti. Penetrating deeper into the primeval source of energy permeating the breath, the kualin rises upward and the two breaths combined are sucked into the suumn. On the completion of this process, the yogin is taken effortlessly to the highest level of consciousness, along the passage of breath having got transformed into the dynamics of the space-time continuum. The triad of ns gets unified and the yogin becomes one with the power of consciousness, the source of the flow of breath. The vital breath appears as pra and apna with the function of exhalation and inhalation. Since it imparts life, it is known as pra. It is the first manifestation of consciousness. The main characteristic of pra is to rise upward and give rise to sound. Functionally diversified, it is known by different names such as pra, apna, samna, udna, vyna. Fixing of consciousness on different pras results in the experience of nanda or delight of various kinds. When mind rests only on the subject of experience, then the nanda experienced is known as nijnanda. The delight experienced by contemplation over the absence of all objects of experience is also known as nirnanda. Contemplation jointly on pra and apna leads to the delight of parnanda. When ones attention rests on samna, there is the delight of brahmnanda.

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Having dissolved all knowledge and objects of knowledge in his consciousness, the yogin, resting in the udna, experiences the delight of mahnanda. When the yogins consciousness rests on the vyna, the delight experienced is known as cidnanda. After experiencing these kinds of delight or nanda, the yogin realises his pra-akti in its fullness, and has the experience of jagadnanda which is integral. It flashes all around as sheer consciousness, manifesting itself as knower, means of knowledge, and object of knowledge all together. The yogins consciousness expands in the experience of the nectar of bliss of the absolute sovereignty in which there is no more any need of meditation. This exercise on prna is known as prnusadhna or prayoga and is quite different from pryma, if the latter is taken in its literal sense of an exercise of breath control. Pra in its subtle form is known as nda or vara. It is neither produced nor can it be stopped by anyone. It is called vara since all the letters of the alphabet lie latent in it. From this imperceptible anhata nda originate all the letters of the alphabet. This nda is experienced through intensive awareness. Through intensive awareness the yogin becomes mindful of the subtle sound emanating from the movement of his breath. Through the unification of the sound sa produced by exhalation and ha produced by inhalation in the same continuation, there is born spontaneously the mantra hasa, and is known as ajap-japa. Bidu represents the individual consciousness while apna or incoming breath stands for aditi or dynamics or throb or heart of consciousness. Pra, the outgoing breath, likewise represents daka or integral consciousness. In Tantras, they represent jva, akti and iva respectively. This mantra is repeated in every round of expiration and inspiration. By awareness of this process, pra and apna

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become equipoised. Then arises the kualin which lies at the base of the spine. By the rise of kualin a number of pleasant sounds are heard. 6.52 The yogin, however, is advised not to get indulged in the hearing of these sounds. Instead of that, he is expected to focus his attention on the anhata nda itself. Through concentration on that nda, his limited consciousness gets dissolved and he has the experience of pure consciousness, viuddha caitanya. The awakened kualin pierces the cakras, namely, muldhra, svdhihna, maipura, anhata, viuddha and aj successively and enters finally into the sahasrra and makes the yogin experience the ambrosia of immortality. Ns and cakras are not anything gross physical. These are extensions of pra and form part of the pramaya koa. Cakras are seats of the vital energy. They are called cakras because they are concentric. They serve as centres of distribution of pra in the pramaya koa and through it in the physical body. Nda is subtle at the stage of madhyam and gets further subtilised to the extent of inaudibility after reaching the stage of payant. Payant is called so because here nda gets transformed into jyoti, light, and is revealed as such to the inner eye of the yogin. Visibility of the Light has the pre-requisite of cessation of all the vikalpas of mind resulting in ones restoration to ones true nature. Hasa is the manifestation of nda serving as the basis of life while praava stands for its unstruck form known as anhata. Intensive awareness of praava results in the audition of nine ndas manifesting in succession as bidu, ardha candra, rodhin, nda, ndnta, akti, vypin, samna and unman.

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While samna represents the stage of realisation of the essential self, unman stands for the access to consciousness in its omnipresence. Reaching this stage of culmination, yoga becomes sahaja, spontaneous. Mdr that is known as Bhairav or Vaiav or Yoni or amukh is the method to access the anhata nda. It lies in closing the ears with the thumbs and exercising the will power for hearing the sound emanating from the depth of consciousness known technically as heart. According to the Maitrya Upaniad, this sound bears resemblance to that of river, ball, tin-pot, wheel, croaking of frogs, rain and to one heard in a closed space. The anhata is also called as abda Brahman and serves as the basis of realisation of the Reality in Its highest ontological sense known as Para Brahman. Here all the experiences of the yogin merge into the highest form of bliss like juices sucked from various sources and deposited in the comb by the honeybee resulting in its transformation into the honey. Nda sdhan has been called ndnusandhna and surati abda yoga by Sankara and Kabir respectively and also is the secret behind of the Zen Koan -- the sound of one hand clapping.

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Thus, prana, nada and kundalini are interrelated with one another. (From the Book Yoga From Confusion To Clarity Volume 5 by Professor Satya Prakash Singh and Yogi Mukesh) Blog: http://vedic-yoga.blogspot.com