The nature of Mind and Life Force (Prana) :
The relation between Mind and the Life Force (Prana) has been revealed in the hymn Purusha Sookta "The Moon emerged from the Mind and the Sun from the eye of the Universal Self”
In this hymn, the description which the ancient sage has put down before us is quite useful for understanding their significance (importance). In the formation of the Universe, the comparison between the Moon and Mind as well as that of the Sun and the Life Force (Prana) is quite convincing. The comparison of the Moon and the Mind is very apt. Just as the Moon has Full-Moon and a No-Moon phases of the opposite directions, the Mind too has two extreme tendencies. It some times ascends to the higher ideas and sometimes to the lower and meaner thoughts. The mind sometimes assumes itself to be like a king and remains absorbed in lofty thoughts and ideas, but in a moment it sinks into beastly thoughts (animal instincts). The Spirited Power (Chaitanya shakti) (Life Force) as compared to the Sun is eternal and the cause of creation, sustenance and the destruction of the Universe. In the hymn of 'Saura Sukta' "the Sun is said to be the Soul of the Universe and it is also the Life Force of the Universe". From this it is evident that the Life Force (Prana) is the eternal principle of the Universe. The other noteworthy fact is that according to the astronomical science the moon is luminous owing to the light of the sun. The moon has no light of her own. The luminosity of the moon is due to the reflected rays of the sun. It means the moon cannot shine without the existence of the sun. As per the analogy stated above, we can say that the mind owes its existence to the Life Force (Prana). If the mind ceases thinking and pondering for sometimes, the life of a human being continues to exist; but if the Life Force (Prana) stops functioning, the mind will not exist at all. When the soul deserts the body, the Life Force returns to its former state - original place in the outer world. Mind cannot be an ideal object for meditation. On the contrary, the Life Force (Prana) like the sun should be accepted as the eternal principle of Truth. To worship it is beneficial and can be followed by us. That is why in India the worship of the Sun is considered to be superior.
|
