Chapter 4 - The concept of Prana (Vitalities)

bahirapanehim jaha taheva abhamtarehim pahim | panamti jehim jiva pana te homti giddittha || 126|| argAiuau adaiigzad: giu: | orofa doffar: gruna vafa faffet: || PRE || 129. As by external life-forces, so also by internal life-forces (all mundane) souls have their existence. Both of these life-forces are Vitalities (prana). (This) has been laid down. Commentary. Vahya-prana (external vitalities) - The activities of the five material senses, the body, speech, mind, respiration and age are said to be the external vitalities (Vahya or Dravyaprana). While the activity of inner consciousness or the internal motive force, which are due to the destructive-subsidence of the knowledgeobscuring and power-obstructing Karmas and to the operation of other Karmas and which are the stimulating cause of the external activities are called internal vitalities (Abhyanatara or Bhava prana). Paryapti is the attainment of the capacity of developing body, mind, speech, and the five senses, while Prana is the activity of those functionaries.

pamcavi indiyapana manavacikayesu tiriya balapana | anapanapana augapanena homti dasa pana || 130 || pancapi indriyaprana manovacah kayesu trayo balapranah | anapanaprana ayuskapranena bhavanti dasa pranah || 130 || 91 130. The five sense-vitalities, three power-vitalities of mind, speech, and body, the respiratory vitality; the age-vitality (all these ) form the ten vitalities. 131 || viriyajudama dikhauvasamuttha choimdiyemdiyesu bala | dehrdaye kayana vacivala au audaye || viryayutamatiksayopasamottha noindriyendriyesu balah | dehodaye kayani vacobala ayuh srayurudaye || 131 || 131. Mind and sense-vitalities arise by the destructive-subsidence of the power (obstructing Virya-antaraya), sensitive-knowledge obscuring (Mati jnana varana-karma) By the operation of the body-making (Sharira nama karma) ( arise ) the body, respiration and speech vitalities, and by the operation of age (Ayu karma) arises the age-vitality. Commentary. For the production of respiration, and speech vitalities, along with the operation of the body-making karma the operation of respiration (Uchchhvas) Karma and voice (Swara) Karma are also necessary, respectively. imdiya kayauni ya punyapunsu puranage ana | bi imdiyadipurane vacima gosari puraneva || 132 || indriyakayayumsi ca purnapurnesu purnake sranah | dvindriyadipurne vacah manah samjnipurne eva || 132 || 132. Sense, body, and age vitalities are found in both -the developable and non-developable and respiration in developable (souls ) only. In the developable two-sensed (souls ) and others (up to five-sensed is found the speech) (vitality), while the mind vitality is found in developable rational (souls) alone.

basa saraninam pana sese'gunamtimassa beurana | pajjate sidaresu ya sattaduge sesageguna || 133 || dasa samjninam pranah sesaikonamantimasya vanah | paryapte vitaresu ca sapta dvike sesakai konah || 133 || 133. Among the developables, the rationals have (all the ten vitalities while the rest (from irrational five-sensed, downwards to two-sensed) (souls) have one less each (successively). The last (i. e., one-sensed) have two less (than the preceding class). Amongst the others (i. e., non-developables) (there are) seven (vitalities) in the two (i.e., the rational and irrational five-sensed (souls) and in the rest one less in each, (respectively). Commentary. Injury (Himsa) is defined as the deprivation through carelessness (Pramada) of any one or more of the vitalities (Prana) of a soul. Really speaking it is the vitalities to which injury is caused, neither the soul nor the matter which encases a mundane soul is susceptible to any injury whatsoever. They are both indestructible in their essence. The degree of sin would depend upon the number of vitalities, and their comparative strength, to which injury is caused. The knowledge of the varying number of vitalities possessed souls in their various conditions of life enables one to judge of the extent of injury he is likely to cause in his actions. The following table would prove useful. Table showing the vitalities in different classes of souls (gatha 133). Developable. Rational 5-sensed-possess all 10 vitalities. Irrational ܂ " " " " " 9. (less mind) 4-sensed-possess 8 (less ear sense also) 3 sensed-possess 7 (less eye also) 2-sensed-possess 6, (less nose also) 1-sensed-possess 4 (less tongue and speech also Non-developable. 7 (less(1) respiration, (2) speech, (3) mind. 71 " " ). 6 ( ear sense also). " 5 (,, eye also). 4 ( » nose also). 31 ,, tongue also).