Prana/Body/Mind/Ego & Sickness

1. Upon death, the Atman surrounded by the mind, consciousness and ego, along with the subtle senses & the five constituent Prana-s departs from the body. That Jiva (individual) without a Sthula Sharira (physical body), is then encased in the remaining two bodies - the Linga Sharira (astral body) and the Kârana Sharira (causal body). Everything around the Atman (pure soul) is held together by Prana. Thus Prana is the facilitator of the Manas (mind), Buddhi (intellect), Chitta (consciousness) and Ahamkara (ego). This is why one who gains mastery over Prana gains mastery over all these and wins them over. Prana is the force that facilitates both creation and destruction under the commands of the Atman (pure soul or the Lord). Just as electricity runs various components within a gadget, Prana controls and keeps alive the various constituents of the Jivatma (embodied soul).

The body, mind and ego, are derivatives of each other in the reverse order. From the ego comes the mind, from the mind come the senses and from the senses comes the body. Prana is the facilitator of all these, as electricity facilitates in lighting, heating and running a home. All these vehicles are an expression of the Jiva and its tendencies. This is why all these differ in different people, based on the nature of the Jiva, while the Atman is the same.

2. That fraction of the Lord (the Atman) who though pure and untouched, appears to be deluded through ‘Avidya’ (neiscience) and thus enveloped by the Karana Sharira (causal repository), the four Antahkarna-s (manas, buddhi, chitta and ahamkara), and the physical body is called the Jiva or individual. The Jiva is nothing but these four within the physical body around the pure Atman or Lord. The pure Atman within the Jiva, being the Lord does not undergo any change and never gets subjected to ignorance. The Atman, in it’s apparent, individualized form is a witness to the happenings of the external vehicles and ever pure. Consciousness, when functioning in the Ego or I-sense (as in case of the unenlightened) due to ignorance, leads to the thought – “I am separate, different and an entity by myself”. Since this is incorrect in terms of reality, it is prone to the fluctuation of happiness and sorrow. Hence it may be said that the presence of ignorance leads to formation of the Ego around the pure Atman which then becomes the Jiva that assumes doership.

3. When the Brahmachari is suffering from illness, disease or even a mental condition of weakness, vulnerability, anger or some other modification, his Prana is being heavily dissipated through these. The body of an ill man has to constantly spend large amounts of Prana to fight the illness and maintain life. This depletes the Prana available to the mind. This is why an ill or diseased man has less mental conviction, courage, determination and such other mental faculties. All his Prana is being expended towards fighting the illness. Similarly, in a man experiencing anger, greed, jealousy and other negative traits, Prana is again being dissipated out of his mind and body in the form of energy required to sustain these emotions. Hence he too becomes weak and debilitated. When the mind reaches this state of depletion from energy, it loses the power of Dharana (concentration), Viveka (wisdom of discrimination) and becomes ‘Ayukta’ (unsteady). Such an unsteady mind then becomes the victim of the senses, (which are expressions of the ego) and are waiting for an opportunity to ensnare the mind in sense pleasure. The mind then loses its composure and falls into the trap. Brahmacharya then gets easily broken. This is the basis behind Swami Sivananda’s statement.

ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)