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Prana, life and Soul

The nature of prāṇa, jīva, and the body is examined. The physical body is a temporary instrument, yet necessary for any spiritual practice. Medical science searches within the body but cannot locate the soul. Prāṇa is the vital life force; if prāṇa is present, life is present. The soul is distinct yet closely connected to this prāṇa. Various stories illustrate the mysterious relationship between the physical form and the conscious principle. One must inquire into which of the five sheaths—Annamaya, Prāṇamaya, Manomaya, Vijñānamaya, or Ānandamaya—one is truly cultivating. The ultimate aim is to transcend identification with the temporary layers to realize the true self.

"Prāṇa is like a soul. Prāṇa is life."

"The ātmā is different, but prāṇa and ātmā are very one, very close."

Filming location: Jadan, Rajasthan, India

Oṁ. Śrī Mādhav Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Svāmī, Satguru, Mādhavānandajī, Mahārāj, Kī Jai. Viśvaguru, Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, Svāmī Mādhavānandajī, Yogirāja, Kī Jai. Oṁ, Pāli, Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa, Bhagavān, Kī Jaya. Śrī Siddha Viśvārā, Mahādeva, Kī Jaya. Śrī Madhavānandajī, Mahārāj, Kī Jaya. Viśvaguru, Madhavānandajī, Mahārāj, Kī Jaya. Swāmī Maheśvarānandajī Mahārāj Kī Jai. Satya Sanātana Dharma Kī Jai. Namaḥ Śrī Gurudev Jī. Sabkā Sarjanahār. Oṁ Bolī Siddhi Praṇām Bhagavāne Kī. Jaya Śrī Deveśvara Mahādeva Kī. Jaya Śrī Śrī Sattva Guru Svāmī Madhavānandajī Mahārāj Kī. Jaya Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Svāmī Maheśvarānandajī Yogīrāj Kī. Deep Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Jai. Devādhī Deva, Deveśvara Mahādeva Kī Jai. Satguru Svāmī Madhavān Jī Bhagavān Kī Jai. Alakhpurī Jī Mahādeva Kī Jai. Satya Sanātana Dharma Kī Jai. Good evening, and in some other countries, it’s good morning. All my dear bhaktas, practitioners of yoga and daily life, also the practitioners of other different yogas—all of what we call the four different yogas: Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jñāna Yoga, and Rāja Yoga. But it is not only these four. It is Patañjali, the great sage Patañjali, who put it all together, and so we call it Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Rāja Yoga, Jñāna Yoga. According to the Bhagavad Gītā, there are twelve yoga chapters. In the beginning and the end of the Bhagavad Gītā, we also write the first yoga and the end of yoga. But furthermore, there are many other great yogīs, great saints, and they found their path. So it is that we are all running here and there, we are searching here and there, and we don’t know where we are. And we know all, everything that we are searching for is also good. The yoga for the body is only temporary. After that, again, we are gone. But the body is not everything, but everything is nothing without the body. Now, in this way, the first step is our physical body. And if we are only thinking of our body, then we are lost. But with this one body, we cannot do anything. So, it is a yogic searching. So, we said different kinds of prāṇāyāmas. Prāṇa, prāṇa. Prāṇa is like a soul. Prāṇa is life. Prāṇa, we said, if someone is dying, but still, we said there is prāṇa inside. We will tell the soul. Till now, no doctor has told whether the soul is in the body or has gone out of the body. The doctors are researching, they are doing great things, everything, but they are searching only within the body: all different kinds of organs, glands, nerves, heartbeats, etc. But further, they cannot tell us the soul. Well, when we make the heart search, we do not take, again, the bypass, the bypass or the stand. So, we go now. This is what we call them. What is the name of this? What are we calling it? Anyhow, sooner or later it will come. And this was the professor who was taking this knowledge, and he was from Zurich. And he went himself into his underground, a very nice place in his house. And he made himself to search in the heart, angiography, that’s it. Angio, there are some angios, there is some angios, Yoga in daily life, angios, that angios, and that angios, the doctor, he went himself, he was so tough, was strong, so he led through his veins, he came in, he searched, and he saw everything, etc. But now our other doctors have researched more, and they are taking care. Even they can change our heart, etc., etc. So once I was there in the angiography, and once they took me to this side, and then after that they put so much sand on it, and for 24 hours I should lie down like that. In my life, the most painful pain was at night, not moving the whole night, all the times like this. Now, they are giving here, and then they can take you in. If you want to go home, you can go. Techniques are coming better and good and good. And we see in the monitor, and here are the wires going, everything going here and there, coming out. What Gurujī said, did you see some soul inside? So I said, "I don’t know, Gurujī." Similarly, many things are like this. So the mechanism, the doctors, they will not say the soul is gone. It will say life is gone. But we said soul, and where is that soul which is not visible, that is not physical? And so the energy with us is also energy after the body, and so prāṇa. So this prāṇa is a kind of ball, and that is the best part of the prāṇa, life, heart, or the navel. Mostly, it is in the navel. Brain, of course, there is everything; many, many things are in the brain also. And now they are trying to take this head down, and again they will put it on and go. It will come. There is one nice story. Would you like to hear some stories? Yes, because what is a prāṇa, what is a soul, and what is a life? Well, there was one young girl, or woman, she was married, and she was about... He is in tradition for three to four days, or five days, or one week, two weeks, then again she comes at home. They bring—comes her brother or her sister—brings them at home, and then after, they bring them back. So, this is kind of a ceremony. So, what happens there? So both men, her brother and her husband, were walking, and his wife or his sister was walking a little behind. So, after that, what happens? There was a beautiful tree with very nice shade, and they were sitting there, wanting to open something to eat, like a picnic. They were there, and this girl wanted to go behind the bush also. The bush was not so near, but there was nobody, and she went about, let’s say, 100 meters distance somewhere. And what happened? Meanwhile, one man came, very cruel, and he cut off the heads of both. Both. So both men are there, and the two heads are there, and I don’t know how this cruel one ran away. Then this girl comes back, and she sees, and then she was crying. She was crying for her sister, her brother, and for her husband. What to do? So she was crying, "God, God, God." She is calling God, "Please God, please God." So God came. What is that? There are two heads, and these two bodies are there. Someone cut it. So God was in a hurry. So she said, "Please give them life. Please give them life." So he said, "Okay." And God said, "Bring one man’s head." And she gave one head and a second hand. And what happens? His brother’s head, he put it in his husband’s body. And the head of the husband, he put it on his brother’s, and it was everything perfect. God, and then they see, they got up, life came in, they don’t know, it’s like as it is, and says, "God, God, please God, please give the..." He said, "God, I can’t give you three times. On the head I give first time, and then the second time again," and God was gone. Now, the husband is talking with that head, but the body is the brother’s, and the brother is talking with it, but the body is on his sister’s husband, and the husband’s brother. She was crying. What to do now? So this is one question. Now, what she will do and what God will do, and how she can take a brother or how he can take his wife, and what is now? Who will give the answer here? We will see something like this. So now she is going home. Now she is pulling both one this side and one side. He is holding the hand of his brother, but his body’s head is his husband. Then she wants to go that side. So the difference, she was completely confused. Prāṇa is there. The soul is there, but which soul is where? Śrīmān Nārāyaṇa Nārāyaṇa. Prāṇa, jīva, and body. These are the three. And now, we will give the answer, of course. But you think it is so easy that I give you only chocolate? I don’t like your chocolate. If you give me something more, I will do it. Yes, so the whole world is listening to this. And I cannot make this, because if somebody will do it, again with husband and brothers, someone do then, so they will quickly cut it and put it inside. No, no, no. So, like that, it is there. Answers come sometimes a day. So when we are doing yoga in our physical body, in this physical body we are doing also the prāṇa body. And then we have Annamaya Kośa, Prāṇamaya Kośa, Manomaya Kośa, Vijñānamaya Kośa, and Ānandamaya Kośa. But again, in these five kośas, these are five bodies, but still that soul is not there. That prāṇa is there, two kinds of prāṇa. And that prāṇa is that: if prāṇa is there, life is there. And if no prāṇa is there, no body is there. Where is the soul, and where can the soul go? And it is said, sometimes still the jīvā is there, sometimes for some hours. And so, for example, what we call the reptilian animals, they don’t die quickly. You know this gekō? And we have nice gekōs always, you see. And somehow it happens that you teach her between the windows or something, so his gekō’s tail was falling down. And the body of the gekō is running away. No blood? No. And now you will see, for half an hour, or maybe one hour, or maybe 15 minutes, that tail. The tail of the gekō is life. Do you know someone? This means you were the killer. Yes, you were the killer. Oh my God. Yes. So they are still there. How long? Similarly, also when we are, say, the body, husband dies, father dies, mother dies, children die, anyone dies, so there is that if we are putting it in the earth, again prāṇa comes back. When the prāṇa comes back, it’s already solved, it’s there. And many times we see there was one man, and he died, a sādhu or someone, and he was sitting there, and they put him in the samādhi and a little temple. And after that, how many years, centuries, they see, somehow constructing, and he’s still sitting. And prāṇa, he is there, the whole body. Did you hear? You see, maybe somebody is not there. Yes, many times, and this was somewhere, here is, not in India, but somewhere, other little part, other side, Singapore or something, that side or so. So still there was a prāṇa, and there is something, it is said. You know that one other story, that one worker who was working with the stones and a big rock, and he was sitting on it, and with the instruments he was carving some statue, a beautiful rock. How many days, and round and round, there is no hole, there is nothing. And one day he was sitting, and he was touching with a hammer, and the rock fell in two parts. Now he said, "Oh my God, it’s broken." There is a small hole, and there is one end, and in the mouth there is some kind of, like, a chāval—not chāval, not a grain—what do you call the grain? Rice. Rice is rice, is rice, and very nice. So now that man who is sitting there on the big rock, which falls into a puddle, sees there was nowhere, anywhere, a way to go. But there is inside, and I have little. He searched everything; it was not there. That man said he took his tools like this. Got up and said, "God, I don’t want to work anywhere. I don’t want anything. If you want to give it to me, then give it to me at my home. This you gave into the rock, and I didn’t see anywhere the way to walk there. How did you give it to her? If you give it to me, then I will take it; otherwise, I will die." At midday, he went home, and his wife was surprised. You came so quickly today? He said, "Yes, but you have to work." She said, "I don’t work anymore. I will not work. Why should I work? I will lie down on the bed and say, 'Bus, I do nothing. No eating, nothing.'" He said, "Are you confused? You are confused, not me." She comes and then pleases and calls, a little bit called towel on it and this. She said, "I am perfect." Then see what happens. What happens is that I don’t want to work. Why? What will it be? That is the question. That little ant was on the beautiful, white marble rock. And I was working there. There is no anyway part of the head, any little hole. But it broke, and there was an ant that had one nice corn in its mouth. God, if you want to give me, I will give you; otherwise, not. She said, "You have, I think, lost your brain." She said, "My brain is the best in this." Well, what they have at home, they are eating, and like this. But she said, "Please go and work on this." He said, "No, no. God will give. God will give me. Then I will take, otherwise not." After two or three months, they had a nice hut made from grass, like our little bit. And they are sleeping in their room, and there is a little kitchen, and like this. One day, he went in the morning to the toilet. He took water and went about 50 or 100 meters far. He went to the toilet there, and he was sitting. And he had a little, while sitting there, a little, little stone—not sorry, stone—the wood, and he was. Playing like this, "God, I don’t want you anymore," and he was doing like this. And while moving the sand out with the stick, suddenly he sees something, a pot inside. He makes more and more and more, about one foot deep or one and a half feet deep. He dug and he dug and he dug so big, he said, "My God." Then he opened the lid. He opened the lid. Inside were many, many gold and many very precious stones, full of treasures. He was sitting and looking like this. And he said, "God, don’t play with me. I don’t need to be here. I close it with a faint scent. If you want to give, then give in my house and not in my toilet place." He went, put earth and everything, and came back. He said, "You came late today." Siddha, yes. He always confused me. Who? Don’t tell me now. Please tell me. He said, "Okay, I will tell you sometime." Now, in the night, about 10 o’clock, 11 o’clock, they were always sleeping by 7 or 8 o’clock. Because it was only dark and dark, so there came three thieves. And the three thieves were trying round and round his hut. And we will steal from this, but we can’t when they are sleeping. But still they are talking, and they were talking and they were listening. She said, "I want to go to sleep, but please tell me." She said, "No, it is very simple." She said, "What?" I went to the morning toilet there near that Khejri tree, and nearby, with the stick, I was playing with the sand, and suddenly I saw inside it a very big treasure. Maybe it is also too heavy to bring, and I opened the lid, and there were many, many. And then I say to God, "This stick is your back. I don’t want. I tell you, God, I don’t want to work. I don’t want to carry it. If you want to give, then give my house." He said, "Are you crazy? Why didn’t you bring it?" He said, "Why?" And why should you go and bring it? If God wants to give, then give it. Then she said, "Where was it?" He said, "Yandhi is about 50 or 100 meters away, near the Khejri, and there is an Akhāṛā, and there I was in the toilet." All three thieves said, "Let’s go. There may be a few rupees or something." So all three went, and she said, "You are stupid." He said, "I am not spirit. I am not spirit. I am, I want, if he wants to do, then he does. I don’t work anymore." Why did he give to one ant the beautiful stone inside? And I am also an ant for God. She is sleeping. He is there talking. He said, "If God brings it, give it in my house. My food and everything, if you want, bring it here." And she said, "Why did you not bring? Why should I bring? If then God will bring inside." So these three people went slowly with the torchlight. And they saw somewhere that the toilet, or some dogs or someone, took it. But there was little weight because water was washing him. And then they said, "Oh, there is something," and they opened. My God, oh, oh, such a big pot and a lid on it. They opened, and there were so many cobras in every direction. Oh God, they put it back again. This man is so tricky. He saw that there is a snake inside. And they know that we were listening, I think. But we will put him in his bed on it. It’s all, so the stakes will come. Okay? So they came slowly, slowly, slowly. And one thief went up, made a little low. Another one was giving up, the second came, and they said, "How to run away?" So slowly, slowly, they opened. His wife said, "What is that? There’s some kind of sound." It’s a sound, it’s a God. He’s working very hard. Let him work. God has to work. I am relaxed. Give me my seat. I will sleep. Let God work. They said, "We will sow there, we will sow cobras and that." They sowed with their hands. They sowed with their eyes. There was nothing but so many cobras. And then from there, he put it down, and they ran away, and it opened that treasure pot, and there were so many precious stones and gold and this, and she said, "What happened, my dear? What has happened? God has given here now, but I don’t want to take it together. If you are God, then why are you throwing like this? Bring the plate together and put it on my bed nearby. I will respect you, God, otherwise I will take the broom and throw it out. God will do it. So God will do it." And then she said, look. So there is one beautiful bhajan. One Koī Mahātmā has written this bhajan, but unfortunately I have forgotten. Maybe someone will tell me this bhajan, and that you have this bhajan here, "Mukti Muktārai"? That bhajan you don’t have. No, no, no. Because this story, I didn’t tell you long, long, long ago. And so it is that the ātmā is different, but prāṇa and ātmā are very one, very close. And so, therefore, prāṇa is there. So, some burn this whole body, then quickly it goes into the Brahmaloka or somewhere. The rest is under the earth. I don’t know how long that suffering will be, what will happen, Jīva, Jīva... Or, great saint, they will be inside, and they are in the Brahmaloka. So, my dear, yoga—which kind of yoga are you practicing? Annamaya, Prāṇamaya, Manomaya, Vijñānamaya, Ānandamaya—in which path will you go? Will you go into prāṇa or kośas? How long will prāṇa be? Phe, phe, phe prāṇāyām karte rehte, dūsrā kartā, shh. Yeh bhī prāṇa hai, wo bhī yogī kahtā hai ki main iske dvārā pūrī śarīr ko clean kar dūṅgā. Dūsrā kā? All the sitting, all the postures, no movement, many, many things. What kind of yoga are you? Somebody, the Kundalinī yoga. What is Kuṇḍalinī? There is no kuṇḍalinī, and whoever thinks they have a kuṇḍalinī will one day definitely go mad. And if someone says, "Oh, I have burning here," then why burning? Go to the doctor. The doctor is the best, not a... Yogi, there is one man from Germany, and he said, "Oh, someone gave me the kuṇḍalinī." He was ten, five, eight years, it was torturing me, and he could not do nothing, no work and nothing, but he was doing, and always, Swāmījī. You can make it, and then again he went away. He said, "No, Swāmījī, I will not do it." I did something for him, and again he comes and pleads, "Please, please." So those are not Kundalini. If Kundalini is like this, no yogī has said it is yogic Kundalini. But there are prāṇas, śakti, therefore which yogas you are going to do? And therefore, many, many ṛṣis, many, many gurus, each guru has his own path, and the path is not only that pūjā and this pūjā. This is only the path means now your sūrat, which direction the sūrat will go. And therefore there is one bhajan, Mahāprabhujī said, very nice, Chetan Kā Chīl Kā Swāmī. Oṁ Bālī Siddhi Praṇām Bhagavān Kī Jaya Śrī Dreśa Mahādeva Kī Jaya Śrī Mādhav Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandajī Mahārāj Kī Jaya Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, Svāmī Maheśvarānandajī Mahārāj Kī Jaya.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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