Nervous system goes where the awareness of breath pulsations goes!

Just like how the roots go where water source goes…

The focus of the entire Yajur-veda is the element vayu.  This element along with agni, which is the focus of Rig-veda,  or fire are pivotal in understanding how everything works.  This theory of elements is one of the key cogs in Yogis’ Theory of Everything.

For yogis, everything is continuous, in a state of flux, and circular.  The model is the following:

U-I –> [Nature –> Ego –> Intelligence –> Mind

–> Space –> Air –> Fire –> Water –> Earth] –> I

Left to right is the manifestation cycle (downward pointing triangles of the Srichakra), and right to left is the dissolution or sublimation half of the cycle (upward pointing triangles).  We are all made of these eight components, in different proportions.  These elements are not disparate – they come from the one to the left, and dissolve back into that again.  That is the most important clue to understanding the basis for the theory of elements. Vāyu (Air) is the fourth on the list of five elements (bhutas).  All elements including Vāyu are also included in the list of 33 gods – five of the eight Vasus.  Vasus are situated in our throat (see the earlier Yogic model for God blurb).

The first one is akasha or space – we already discussed this. Memory (smrti) is its most significant characteristic, and Karma, and by extension Karma Yoga, is based on this concept, and hearing/grasping (shruti) is the corresponding sense faculty.  The manifestation of the memories in the physical plane in the present is the universe that we experience. This manifestation occurs through the mix of the five elements, depending upon the local conditions. If Akasha is all about information,  Vāyu is all about information movement (transport), i.e., signal transduction, and the sense of touch is associated with this.   Rishis routinely pray to Vāyu to bless them with speedy communication (information) showers…  Kundalini experience includes this autobahn-style information showers.  

In Ṛg Veda, the very second sūkta of the first section (maṇḍala) is to Vayu!  The general theme is:  activate the Soma chakra first, by pressing the herbs (nadis) between the two stones (of masculine and feminine polarities).  This happens in the Soma chakra, a sub-system of the seventh chakra (Sahasrara chakra).  At this stage, Soma is a bundle of information chunks, or commands, to be transported.  When it has to drop below the navel, into the bottom two chakras, it turns into reproductory fluid.   Once the Soma is ready at the subtlest level, the rishis pray to Vāyu to come and distribute that nectar to all other Gods that are located in various locations in our body, and eventually through the entire body.  The soma preparation goes through an internal ritual process, or inner yajna.  Yajur Veda is about how.  For example, in Krishna Yajurveda, the very first recipe goes this way (based on RL Kashyap’s translation):

1.  Streams or rays of information (dhishana)
2. Making seats of Mantra for gods  (all 33 of them)
3. Extolling yajna to purify vasus (of which Vāyu is one), and prepare Soma, curdling of which pleases Indra (an aditya, and the king of senses).
4. To Agni and Soma: the primal devourer/devoured-pair
5. Purification of the body
6. Preparing the body for the Yajna
7. Firming, yoking and integrating (defragmenting) the body  (meditation is a significant defragmentation process)
8. Body as oblation (integrated offering)
9. Set the stage (vedi) to support the process (happens at the end of all kriyas while transitioning to pranayama; that’s when we find that support).
10. Purification by Agni – transforms all energies into that single stream of energy that lifts the consciousness in the direction of sublimation.
11. Enclosing the stage, and seating the gods – svaha mantra (sva is about self, and ha is that sublimation syllable, as in har, hatha, sohum…).
12. Building of the inner world
13. The subtle movement (elevation) in Rishi!
14. Ṛk or rg veda mantras (to comprehend Tat in this elevated state)

This is the sequence of inner yajna – for elevation, and eventually providing service to the society with that understanding of that higher purpose, the Tat (that).

Let’s quickly review the key elements of the Vayu sūkta from Rg Veda, where we started.   The theme is the same, but it is less about how, and more about what.  There are eight verses or ślokas in this sūkta:

ślokas 1-2:  The rishi, from a deep state of attention, with praises, invokes Vāyu with the message that Soma drops have been pressed and ready.

śloka 3:  Requests Vāyu to spread the Soma draught to all penetrable and impenetrable parts of the rishi’s body.

ślokas 4-6: From here, the rishi invokes various Âdityas (forces that emanate from the forehead, our neocortex) as companions to Vāyu.   Indra-Vāyu combo first.

ślokas 7-9:  Mitra-Varuna, for overall functioning and well being.

We are still missing a complete account of what  they did as preparatory steps before the first sloka, what these Adityas do or responsible for in our bodies at a functional level, or what state the rishis’ were exactly in.  We can only guess…

But we can gather that one of the important things is the context in which these are chanted:  they are conducting an inner yajna to enter a peaceful neutral unitive state.   After invoking Agni, the rishi invokes Vāyu.  The method is for Vāyu to spread the Soma so that that Rishi can stay in that blissful state for a long time.  As long as enough Soma is circulating through the body, there’s no craving for anything else.  Ayurveda says that there is no physical decay either.  We will continue with the subdivision of Vāyu next…

Bhadram no api vataya manah_/\_/\_/\_