The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c10.60

c10.60

The formulae wherein prāṇas are referred to are mostly limited to a call for prosperity. All the five prāṇas are mentioned together a number of times. In the Vājasaneyī-saṃhitā, XXII, 33, it is said "That, thanks to the sacrifice, life may succeed, svāhā! That, thanks to the sacrifice, the prāṇa . . . apāna . . . vyāna . . . udāna . . . samāna . . . the eye . . . the ear . . . the speech . . the spirit, . . . the ātman . . . Brahman . . . light . . . the sky . . . . the celestial vault (literally: the back) . . . the sacrifice, thanks to the sacrifice, may succeed, svāhā!"² The Kāṭhaka contains a series of homages to different breaths enumerated in an order a little different, prāṇa, vyāna, apāna, samāna and udāna.³ Thus the following formula is twice repeated: "Protect my prāṇa and apāna, protect my samāna and vyāna, protect the two forms of my udāna".⁴ The Maitrā- yaṇī-saṃhitā also makes an invocation of each of the five prāṇas which recalls the one of the Vājasaneyī-saṃhitā: “For life svāhā! For prāṇa . . . apāna . . . vyāna, samāna, udāna . . . the eye . . . the ear . . . the spirit . . . the speech . . . svāhā!”¹