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39th Sutra of the Vibhuti Pada is:
उ॒दा॒नज॒याज्जलप॒ङ्कक॒ण्ट॒कादिष्व॒स॒ङ्ग उ॑त्क्रान्ति॒श्च ॥ ३.३९॥
Udāna-jayāt jala-paṅka-kaṇṭakādiṣu asaṅga utkrāntiś ca
Udāna, the prana named as Udāna. The Udāna prana, one of the pañca-prāṇas. Udāna-jayāt — by gaining mastery over the Udāna, ability to move without touching, that is utkrāntiḥ. The correct meaning for utkrāntiḥ is levitation. Udāna-jayāt — by mastery over the Udāna; jala (water), paṅka (mud, marshy), kaṇṭaka (thorns), ādi etc.; asaṅgaḥ — not getting touched, not coming in contact; asaṅga. utkrāntiḥ — levitate, above, ca also. Means by gaining mastery over the Udāna prana, Udan vayu the sādhaka, the yogi can move on water, on marshy mud, on thorns without touching them and without coming in contact with them and etc. That is the meaning of this particular sutra. Very powerful and very commonly we keep listening to this particular vibhūti — that if we gain mastery over the Udāna vāyu, there will not be contact with water, mud, thorns and others, and also levitation.
In aṣṭa-siddhis — aṇimā, laghimā, garimā, mahimā, prāpti, prākāmya, īśitva and vaśitva — the aṣṭa-siddhis which are taught, laghimā is this one. Laghimā is lightness — heaviness of the body becomes lightness. Why is there heaviness in the body? If the reason for the heaviness in the body is removed, then it becomes lighter. The weight of the mass, the weight of the body — scientifically it may be because of the gravitational force — something is pulling down, holding on to the ground and the weight of that. If that heaviness, the cause of heaviness, is removed, then it is light. This particular sutra talks about that. Udāna vāyu — Udāna vāyu’s responsibility is that. There is a beautiful mantra talking about the pañca-prāṇas in the Praśna Upaniṣad: prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, udāna, samāna — the five pranas which are there.
The mantra in the Praśna Upaniṣad is worth quoted here to know about it. The mantra is..
पायूपस्थेऽपानं चक्षुःश्रोत्रे मुखनासिकाभ्यां प्राणः स्वयं प्रातिष्ठते मध्ये तु समानः । एष ह्येतद्धुतमन्नं समं नयति तस्मादेताः सप्तार्चिषो भवन्ति ॥ ३.५॥
हृदि ह्येष आत्मा । अत्रैतदेकशतं नाडीनां तासां शतं शतमेकैकस्या द्वासप्ततिर्द्वासप्ततिः प्रतिशाखानाडीसहस्राणि भवन्त्यासु व्यानश्चरति ॥ ३.६॥
अथैकयोर्ध्व उदानः पुण्येन पुण्यं लोकं नयति पापेन पापमुभाभ्यामेव मनुष्यलोकम् ॥ ३.७॥
This is the presence, status and functionalities of the pañca-prāṇas as available in the Praśna Upaniṣad. The Praśna Upaniṣad is a very powerful, most important Upaniṣad. There are six questions raised by the disciples and the ṛṣi answers those questions.
Answering one particular question about the prāṇa, the ṛṣi of the Praśna Upaniṣad mentions this beautiful mantra, and in that Udāna is referred. We are concerned with Udāna vāyu, and the next sutra is concerned with the Samāna vāyu.
Udāna vāyu —अथैकयोर्ध्व उदानः it is said: that which makes the body move upward is Udāna. Just for all of us, understanding — when we are walking, at a particular second our body will be upwards. One foot is down, one foot is up. Then that foot is put down and the other is lifted up. This lifting up and jumping — whether it is a high jump or a long jump — this possibility which is there with us is the faculty of the Udāna vāyu. Ud means upwards; an means always flowing, pra an - prāṇa, ap an - apāna, ud an - udāna, sam an - samāna. And that an which is there, and the faculty of upward movement — that is called Udānah. So if we gain mastery of that faculty down to its subtlest form, one gains mastery and he will be able to walk and move on water without touching the water. He will be able to move on paṅka, on marshy land without touching it. He will be able to walk on kaṇṭaka, on thorns without coming in touch with them. That vibhūti comes by mastery over the Udāna. We have umpteen examples in our purāṇas and śāstras about this. Maharṣi Patañjali beautifully brings that dimension — the possibility of making ourselves lighter by reducing heaviness — not weight loss, which is most gross, but the principle of heaviness itself, that principle which contributes to heaviness, that principle is released, and the body becomes light — Maharṣi says that. Swami Vivekananda, in his eloquent way, summarizes this sutra: “Udāna is the name of the nerve current that governs the lungs and all the upper parts of the body, and when one is master of it, he becomes light in weight; he cannot sink in water; he can walk on thorns and sword blades, and stand in fire, and so on.” That is what Swami Vivekananda said. Let us see the other sutra, the next one.
Om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ.
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः||
To Be Continued.. ---------------------------------------
These are transcription of session delivered by Vice-President of Vivekananda Rock Memorial & Vivekananda Kendra, Sri M. Hanumantha Rao Ji.
Audio Link - https://youtu.be/QBtXIz3wWoA?si=G7VFarHDEi7tdOoC
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मुक्तसंग्ङोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित:।
सिद्धयसिद्धयोर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥१८.२६॥
Freed from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with courage and enthusiasm and unperturbed by success or failure, the worker is known as a pure (Sattvika) one. Four outstanding and essential qualities of a worker. - Bhagwad Gita : XVIII-26
