The verse and its meaning · Upanishads · Prashna · Where the Breath Is Born

The Internal Network

Prashna Upanishad 3.6

हृदि ह्येष आत्मा । अत्रैतदेकशतं नाडीनं तासां शतं शतमेकैकस्या द्वासप्ततिर्द्वासप्ततिः प्रतिशाखानाडीसहस्राणि भवन्त्यासु व्यानश्चरति

Meaning · English

The Self resides in the heart. From there, one hundred and one channels branch into smaller veins, eventually forming seventy-two thousand paths where the pervasive breath flows.

The core of our being lives in the heart. This center connects to a vast network of channels. First, there are 101 main paths, which split into smaller vessels, and those further divide into 72,000 tiny branches. The pervasive breath, known as Vyana, uses this intricate map to travel throughout the entire body, ensuring that the life force reaches every single corner of the physical system.

Think of a city's water system. A main reservoir feeds into large pipes, which split into smaller neighborhood lines, which finally end in tiny household faucets. This mirrors how the central Self distributes the breath through increasingly smaller channels to cover the whole body.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Mapping the Breath · Prashna Upanishad 3.5
• Next: The Upward Breath · Prashna Upanishad 3.7
• All of Upanishads · Ask Krishna about it

Sacred Sargam

The sacred texts with their meaning, read aloud, with Ask Krishna, a Panchang and bhajans. Free, on the web and as an app. Open Sacred Sargam