nAraNa_n, the tamil word for nArAyaNa (was: Vishnu)

[Bhadraiah Mallampalli]

(A new para added below at ===>. Rest everything is same as in my mail to
you.)

>Bhadriah Mallampalli wrote:
>
>>chAndogyA says ana is the conceptual eater, and the food of ana is its
>>derivative annam. I also saw aNNam for food, does this lead to aNa for
>> >prANA?
>

>????? Where is aNNam with the retroflex given as a word for food? And where
>in the chAndogya text is "ana" the eater?

I am sorry I do not have the books containing the word aNNam, but I
positively remember seeing the devanAgarI "aNNam" in aitareyA or taittirIyA
upaniSats printed by R.K.Mission.

>The base Ana, relating to nose/breathing, gives rise to apa-Ana, vy-Ana,
>ud-Ana and sam-Ana. The retroflexion in pra-ANa is because of the r in the
>prefix pra. Generally, I would like vAyu, but not anna, to enter my
>respiratory tract. The former sustains life, but the latter sometimes calls
>for the Heimlich manoeuvre.

The base is "ana", not "Ana". This URL is not very reliable but please check
..

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/upan/up01c.htm

"SECOND KHANDA
1. Breath said: 'What shall be my food?.' They answered: 'Whatever there is,
even unto dogs and birds.' Therefore this is
food for Ana (the breather). His name is clearly Ana. To him who knows this
there is nothing that is not (proper) food."

Some more speculations containing the word "swallow".

"7. Then he eats with the following Rik verse at every foot: 'We choose that
food'-- here he swallows -- 'Of the divine
Savitri (prana)' -- here he swallows -- 'The best and all-supporting food'
-- here he swallows -- 'We meditate on the
speed of Bhaga (Savitri, prana)'-here he drinks all."

My interpretation:
Apologies again because different subjects got mixed up in my reply. Some
more apologies on behalf of the Rsi because scripture fancies the khichdi of
concepts.

The definition of functions ana, prANA, apAnA, vyAnA, udAnA and samAnA can
be given at various levels. 1. Nervous level (for a single nerve cell as
felt in yoga), 2. Nervous level (for an entire nervous system or
synchronized nervous cells as felt in yoga), 3. How body feels in each
function ana etc. 4. Breathing. To discuss all this can take volumes. I am
also avoiding vAyu in this discussion.

ana, prANA etc are primarily nervous functions. They all have physical
counterparts in the body, but only prANA and apAnA are easy to explain in
simple words. Others (ana, vyAnA, UDaNa, samAnA) are not so easy to explain,
but they can be indicated by other means.

To start from starting, ana is purely a nervous function of the involtary
nervous system. It has nothing to do with breath (at least to begin with!)
"inspite of" what the scripture says. ana is the sensation to eat or
swallow. ana is a force driven by the involuntary nervous system, without
which even a worm can not eat. ana is the killer instinct in every living
cell, the inner drive, especially of the nervous cells, and that is where
every go-getter thought originates. Vedic seers knew about this feature and
named it ana.

But then if every cell has its own agenda, it does not lead to an optimal
functioning of the body. Therefore many cells join together in synchronism
to satisfy their physical needs, leading to systematic exhalation and
inhalation. One inhalation or exhalation can serve many millions of cells
(leaving out a few). The cells left out are either not cared for (and will
complain later); or they are the "presiding cells" who do not need any
nurturing because they are the bosses (vyAna, udAnA, samAnA). When millions
of cells join together to inhale it is called apAnA, and when they join
together to exhale it is called prANA.

===>
The presiding cells are those that already got their liberation. The rest of
them including those that complain haven't got the liberation, so they live
ordinary lives. Those that got the liberation can some times pull others to
their side, just as mosquitos which are on one side of a net can pull in
those that are outside.

But then, the physical prANA and apAnA are not just group phenomena based on
some random thermo dynamic laws. They are necessarily driven by their
nervous equivalents. An experienced yogi can synchronize the nervous
functions so that the physical inhalation (apAnA) and exhalation (prANA)
coincide with the flow of nervous signals up and down the involuntary
nervous system (to confuse, these are also called apAnA and prANA; apAnA is
sympathetic and prANA is parasympathetic). The nervous interpretation of
prANA/apANA is described in prANA sUktA of atharva veda and I have full
discussion on that topic.

http://friends.acmecity.com/harmonica/301/qad2.html

To give an analogy, we can say that the water that flows up and down the
trunk of a tree is the nervous prANA/apAnA; and the actual breathing of the
tree via leaves is the physical prANA/apAnA.
vyAnA, udAnA and samAnA make better sense as nervous activities, though
there are physical equivalents for these forces also. By "better sense" I
mean better control at physical level and better logic at philosophical
level.

vyAnA is a nervous function that presides over prANA and apAnA. vyAnA can be
seen in self-contained controlling organs such as heart, mouth (aGgIrasAs)
etc (as felt in yoga).

udAnA is the equivalent of zeetala prANAyAmA or hyper ventilation which
gives a yogi the feeling of flying. I do not really believe in flying
against gravity. In my opinion udAnA is meant for getting out of the shell
of ignorance and going to a higher plane after vyAnA (as svaH/yajus) pierces
the shell we are living in.

samAnA is the process of assimilating udAnA to the body so that the
liberation that the mind has obtained is now distributed to the body's
cells. This is the highest stage and is associated with the muscles at
navel, which is also said to be the focal point of carnatic music.

vAyu is a pure Vedic symbol which signifies "any" movement of ana, prANA,
vyAnA, udAnA or samAnA. This is an extremely difficult one to catch. All one
can do is depend on agni to track movements of vAyu. It is like we can see
the movments of flames to see how wind is blowing.

Regards
Bhadraiah
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