Prana Vaha Srotas

Prāṇa vaha srotas vyādhi

Prāṇa – the breath of life; spirit; vitality. Prāṇa in short denotes the existence of life, of living.

There is a technical difference between prāṇa vāyu (the subtype of vāta) and the prāṇa vāyu (the air we inhale).

The prāṇa vāyu we inhale is the life giving force that is external to the body and goes into the body. It is converted/ processed/ absorbed in the mahāsrotas with the action of respiration.

The prāna vāyu which is the subtype of vāta is the ‘force’ that does the process of ‘taking in’… esp. air, water, food… all the factors that are responsible for keeping ‘life’… AND the intake of stimuli of the senses, the sight that we see, the sounds that we hear etc… ALL intake that is responsible for our life – the body and the mind… Prāṇa vāyu (doṣa subtype) Prāṇa vāyu (inhaled prāṇa)  Prāṇotra mūrdhagaḥ  Nabhisthaḥ prāṇapavanaḥ  Controls actions of indriya,  Moves all over the body with mānas, hṛdaya rasa-rakta dhātu  Responsible for the act of  Actually enters the body during breathing breathing  Nutrited by apāna vāyu  Nutrited by ambar-piyūṣa (air outside)

Prāṇavaha srotas:

Srotas Mūlasthāna (Caraka) Mūlasthāna (Suśṛta) Prānavaha Hṛdaya, Mahāsrotas Hṛdaya, Rasavahi dhamanyā Srotoduṣṭi hetu: Kṣayāt saṇdhāraṇāt (vegavidhāraṇāt) raukṣāt vyāyāmāt kṣudhitasya ca Prānavāhini duṣyanti srotansi anyaisca dāruṇaiḥ… Caraka Vimāna 5.

 Prāna – jīvan kārya due to ambarpiyūṣa reaching all dhātu etc through rasa-rakta  Kṣaya of rasa-raktādi dhātu causes improper functioning of prānavaha srotas  Prāna vāyu not being carried to the rakta and therefore to all the śarīra causes lakṣaṇa like śwāsa  Increase in śwasana leading to vikṛti of organs related like phuphusaḥ (lungs)  Dharaṇa (holding) or udiraṇa of any vega esp. those related to breathing like jṛmbhā, cchardi, śramaśwāsa needs effort leading to more strain on the prāṇavaha srotas  Rukṣa āhara-vihāra, ativyavāya, ativyāyāma causes vāta prakopa in kapha dominant area of prānavaha srotas like lungs, thereby increasing the rate of respiration, increasing the strain on the hṛdaya  Caraka says that if rasa, rakta, māmsa srotas have a duṣṭi leading to dhātu kṣaya, it causes also a duṣṭi of prānavaha srotas; also with medovṛddhi; krodha, śoka leading to manovaha srotoduṣṭi affecting prānavaha srotas  Other hetu like raja (dust), dhūmopaghāta (smoke) etc

Duṣṭi lakṣaṇa: Ati sṛṣṭam ati baddham kūpitam alpālpam abhikṣṇam va saśabdaśulam ucchvasantaṃ dṛṣṭvā prānavahānyasya srotānsi praduṣṭāni iti vidyām… Carak vimān 5.

Increase or decrease in the rate of respiration, shallow breathing, change in the natural proportion/ ratio between the inhalation and exhalation, painful or sa-śabda śwāsa - are the main lakṣaṇa of prānavaha srotas duṣṭi. Cikitsā: Prāṇavahanām duṣṭānām śwāsiki kriyaḥ… Caraka vimān 5. Duṣṭi of prānavaha srotas to be treated like śwāsa disease. Generally would include external snehan, swedan; internal vāta-kaphaghna ūṣṇa vātānuloman cikitsā; vaman.

Rasāyan: Rasāyan for prāṇavaha srotas – pippali, āmalaki, bhallātaka. Important vyādhi: Śwāsa, Kāsa, Hikkā Hikkā Muhurmuhur vāyurudeti saswano yakṛt plīhāntrāṇi mukhādiva kṣipan Sa ghoṣavānāśu hinastyasūn yataḥ tatastu hikketyabhidhīyate budhaiḥ… Madhavnidāna

Prāṇa vāyu becoming pratiloma making ‘hik’ sound while going out… Hikka – hi (hīnastu) ka (kāyam)… makes kāyā (body) weak… Prāṇahara… (slowly, eventually)… Suśṛta Caraka puts hikkā as a sadyaprānahar vyādhi category…

Prāṇa vāyu while going out from the mouth, causes a spasmodic effect on the udara and eventually on the yakṛt plīhā adi organs…

Types: Annajām yamalām kṣudrām gambhīram mahatim tathā Vāyuḥ kaphena anugataḥ pañca hikkā karoti hi… Mādhav Hetu: Vidāhi guru viṣṭambhi rukṣa abhiṣyandi bhojanaiḥi Śita-pānāśana-sthāna rajo-dhuma-ātapānilaiḥi Vyāyām-karma-bhāra-adhwa-vega-āghata-apatrapaṇaiḥi Hikkā śwāsasca kāsasca nṛṇām samupajāyate… Mādhav

Vidāhi āhāra – (eg. marica, mustard); guru – eg. (pork, red meat);… consumption of excessively cold drinks and food;… ‘consumption’ of dust, smoke, wind, sun…; excessive exercise, travelling, physical strain…;

All hetu are vāta prakopaka, making vāta (in this case prāṇa vāyu) vimārgaga… Samprāpti: Prāṇavāhīni srotānsi sa-kapho-anilaḥ hikkā karoti saṇruddhya… Ca.Ci.17

Prāna, udaka and annavaha srotas duṣṭi seen… Caraka Structurally speaking, the region or organ that can be seen at the coming together of these 3 srotas is the hṛdkamala – the diaphragm… Kapha in the āmāsaya being prakūpita, blocking the prānavāyu, making it vimārgaga… causing śwāsa, hikkā.

Prāṇa directed; udāna directed vāyu The balance of these 2 creates a normal and rhythmic breathing… loss of rhythm, prāna strength reducing compared to udāna, hikkā formation.

Where Caraka says ‘sa-kapho anilaḥ’, Mādhava and Ḍalhaṇa use the phrase ‘vikṛto anilaḥ’… meaning thereby that it can be because of kapha as well as vāta itself… Pūrvarūpa: Kaṇṭhaḥ uraḥ gurutvam ca cadansasya kaṣāyatā Hikkānām pūrvarūpāṇi kakṣerātopa eva ca… Ca.Ci.17

Sāmānya rūpa:  Vāyu going out making a ‘hicking’ sound  Spasmodic movement of the diaphragm  A pulling kind of pain/sensation in the throat and base of the neck  Discomfort while swallowing food/water, speaking  In more acute conditions… breathlessness, pain and spasm of muscles of back, chest, neck.

Viśeṣa rūpa – according to the type of hikkā. Annajā hikkā: Sahasā alpa-abhyavahṛtaihi pānānaiḥi pīḍito anilaḥ Urdhwam prapadyate koṣṭhan madyaiḥi va ati-mada pradaiḥi Tathā ati-roṣa (anger) bhāṣyāt adhwa bhārāti parivartanaiḥi Vāyu koṣṭhagato dhāvan pāna bhojya prapīḍitaiḥi (vāyu gets pīḍita due to annapāna) Uraḥ srotaḥ samāviśya kuryāt hikkām tato annajām Tathā śanairasambandham kṣuvanascapi hikkate Na marmabādhā jananī na-indriyāṇām prabādhinī Hikkā pīte tathā bhukte śamam yāti sānnajā… Ca.Ci.17

 Eating/drinking gives relief sounds paradoxical because annapāna makes vāyu pīḍita… but obviously the anna (food) that causes pīḍana is kaṭu-tikta-rukṣa… the food that is supposed to give upaśama is snigdha, madhura, ūṣṇa (temperature)… Yamalā hikkā: Cireṇa yamalairvegairyā hikkā sampravartate Kampayanti śirogrīvam yamalām tam vinirdiśeta…

 A pair (2) hiccups coming together at a time, relief for some time and then coming again in a pair…  Causes tremors in śira and grīvā  Not a major problem but if it continues for a long time, it creates discomfort in breathing and swallowing. Kṣudrā hikkā:  Sudden movements esp in the upper torso causes udāna vāyu prakopa.  Srotas is affected and hikkā is formed at the base of the neck and throat.  Vāta prakopa, srotorodha and hikkā all are alpa… kṣudra.  Easily stops without much cikitsā.  Increases with śrama.  Upaśama with even drinking warm water. Gambhirā hikkā:  Usually formed as a upadrava of some other vyādhi and is very serious condition, even ariṣṭa lakṣaṇa.  Whe there is a hikkā-vega the spasm seems to originate from the nābhi and even the lower areas like pakvāśaya.  The sound created has a deeper resonance and loudness.  Patient becomes extremely dīna – discomforted… on chronicity becomes kṛṣa – loses weight.  Pain at vega.  Blocking of breath, blocking of yawns, jwara, pralāpa, mūrcchā.  Pārśwaśūla and other complications. Mahatī hikkā:  Always formed as a result of another vyādhi, ariṣṭa lakṣaṇa.  Māṃsa, bala, agni, utsāh are seen to be decreased/deteriorated substantially (due to another disease).  In this low bala condition, Prakūpita vāta becomes āvṛtta with kapha.  Causes spasmodic movement in important and sensitive organs like āmāśaya, hṛdaya, kloma, nābhi.  The strength of the hikkā vega, the strength of the sound, and the larger area/number of organs that it affects; atiūgra… hence called mahā or mahati hikkā.  Breathing becomes extremely difficult and painful.  Eyes keep watering.  Cannot speak well, weak voice; his speech cannot be understood.  Sanjña nāśa; loss of memory.  Hasta-pāda śaithilya.  Back/spine becomes bow shaped.  Eventually death. Upadrava of hikkā in general: Hṛtśula, śotha, daurbalya, śwāsa, jwara.

Sādhyāsādhyatva:  Annaja and kṣudra sādhya.  Yamalā depending upon condition (strength of dhātu, mind, not too kṛṣa etc) may be kaṣṭasādhya otherwise may go towars asādhya.  Gambhirā and mahā hikkā asādhya. Cikitsa:  Vāta-kaphaghna, ūṣṇa, vātānuloman, madhura dravya.  Prāṇāyama esp for anuloman (deep breathing and exhaling slowly for a longer time).  Bahir kumbhaka.  Trāsana (suddenly frightening him) useful in simpler or the first 3 types.  Snehan, swedan (salt+taila to chest/upto nābhi followed by dry swedan); nasya (ghṛta).  Virecana, basti esp. mūtra śodhana basti.  Mayūra piccha maśi or silk maśi with honey. Śwāsa

 Śwāsatvam vegavat-urdhwa vātatvam…  Śwāsastu bhasrikādhmāna-sama (like the bhasrikā of the ironsmith) vāto ūrdhwagāmitā…  Prāna-nāśak vyādhi.

Sāmānya hetu: Rajasā dhūma vātābhyām śīta-sthānāmbu sevanāt Vyāyāmāt agrāmya adharmāt adhwa rukṣānna viṣamāśnāt Āmapradoṣa ādāna (kāla) ānāhāt raukśyāt ati-apatarpaṇāt Daurbalyān marmaṇo-ghātāt dwandwāt śuddhi-atiyogāt Atisāra jwara cchardi pratiśyāya kṣata kṣayāt Raktapittāt udāvartāt visūci-alasakād api Pāṇḍurogāt viṣāt ca eva pravartet gadāvimau … excessive foods like niṣpāva etc (beans), ānūpa or jāngam māmsa (according to type of śwāsa)… so on and so forth… vyatyasāt prayoga of opposites – like śita-ūṣṇa, guru-laghu etc.

Types: Mahā, ūrdhwa, cchinna, tamaka, kṣūdra. These are typified according to lakṣaṇa. Samprāpti: Mārutaḥ prāṇavāhinī srotānsyāviśya kupyati Uraḥstaḥ kaphamudhūyaḥ hikkā-śwāsān karoti ca…

 Mithya āhāra-vihār leading to prānavaha srotoduṣṭi (formation of kha-vaiguṇya)…  Kapha and/or āma being formed in the āmaśaya…  Prakūpita kapha/ āma becoming vimārgaga and finding stāna saṃśraya in prāṇavaha srotas… srotorodha…  Block in the prākṛt gati of prāṇa… prāṇa pratiloma…  Simultaneously, vātakara āhāra-vihāra causing vāta-prkopa…  This vāta reducing the mṛdu, snigdha, sthira guṇa of kapha that are required in the srotas, for proper and rhythmic breathing… increasing kathiṇa, rukṣa and asthira/cala guṇa… amking srotas likewise…  Duṣṭi of udakavaha and annavaha srotas along with prānavaha…  Kledaka kapha becoming more vitiated… Pūrvarūpa: Ānāha, pārśwaśula, hṛtpīda, śwāsa on and off, aruci, ādhmāna, āsya- vairasya, śankha-bheda…

Rūpa: Above becoming stronger in frequency and intensity.

Mahāśwāsa:  Breathes like a angry and unmatta (mad) bull  Sakaṣṭa, nirantara  Can be heard from far off  Sanjña loss  Mala-mūtra avarodha  Mouth and eyes remain open  Usually as a upadrava of other vyādhi  Ariṣṭa lakṣaṇa

Ūrdhwa śwāsa:  Also ariṣṭa sūcaka and as a upadrava of other vyādhi  Very small intake and a large exhalation  Kaphāvarodha largely seen in throat and windpipe  Netra cāncalya

Cchinna śwāsa;  Also ariṣṭa sūcaka and usually as a later stage or upadrava of mahāśwāsa or ūrdhwa śwāsa  Viṣama gati – totally irregular and haphazard gati of breath  Changes in speed and depth of śwāsa; even stops breating for some time…  Ānāha, swedāti pravṛtti, murcchā, bastidāha, mukha śuṣkatā…  Mano-vibhrama, hallucinations. Tamaka śwāsa:  Vega increases when night or dark (cloudy); also person experiences darkness in front of eyes…  Kulaj hetu also seen…  Kapha and vātakar āhāra..