Prana means the living force, the vital air which is characteristic of a living entity. The Supreme Lord Krishna is the giver of the vital force and He sustains all living and non living entities in the Universe.
eṣo ‘ṇur ātmā cetasā veditavyo yasmin prāṇaḥ pañcadhā saṁviveśa
prāṇaiś cittaṁ sarvam otaṁ prajānāṁ yasmin viśuddhe vibhavaty eṣa ātmā ( BG 2.17)
“The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. This atomic soul is floating in the five kinds of air (prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, samāna and udāna), is situated within the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body of the embodied living entities. When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material air, its spiritual influence is exhibited.”
Consciousness is associated with the Soul of the living entity. Jnana-sakti is the consciousness of the soul. The consciousness of the Virat-rupa is the same as the consciousness exhibited in the individuals. All the activities of the consciousness are performed via the air of lifem and these are divided into ten types. The airs of life are called – Prana, Apana, Udana, Vyana and Samana.
The individual senses interact with the sense objects – ear for hearing, eyes for seeing, nose for smelling, tongue for tasting, hand for touching. All these activities are outside the self and these are all the functions of the Prana-vayu. Apana-Vayu goes downwards. Vyana-vayu acts in shrinking and expanding. Samana-vayu helps in adjusting the equilibrium. Udana-vayu goes upward.
na vai vāco na cakṣūṁṣi na śrotrāṇi na manāṁsīty ācakṣate prāṇa iti evācakṣate prāṇo hy evaitāni sarvāṇi bhavanti (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.1.15)
In the body of a living being neither the power to speak, nor the power to see, nor the power to hear, nor the power to think is the prime factor; it is life which is the center of all activities.”
The Supreme Lord Vasudeva is the primary entity in everything. The power to hear, to mental activities are all not important if they are not associated with the Supreme Lord. The soul is born in many different species within this material world. Some species are born from eggs, some from the embryo, some from the seeds- plants and trees, some from perspiration. But in all the species the prana or the vital air remains unchanged as it follows the soul from one body to another. The soul itself is eternal and remains the same although it changes bodies.
ya eva bhagavān kṛṣṇo rādhikā-prāṇa-vallabhaḥ
sṛṣṭy ādau sa jagan-nātho gaura āsīn maheśvari (Ananta Samhita)
The Supreme Person, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, who is the life of Śrī Rādhārāṇī and is the Lord of the universe in creation, maintenance and annihilation, appears as Gaura, O Maheśvarī.”
kṛṣṇa tvadīya-pada-paṅkaja-pañjarāntam adyaiva me viśatu mānasa-rāja-haṁsaḥ
prāṇa-prayāṇa-samaye kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ kaṇṭhāvarodhana-vidhau smaraṇaṁ kutas te (Mukundamala 33)
“My Lord Kṛṣṇa, I pray that the swan of my mind may immediately sink down to the stems of the lotus feet of Your Lordship and be locked in their network; otherwise at the time of my final breath, when my throat is choked up with cough, how will it be possible to think of You?”
Lets chant the Holy Name of the Prana Natha, breath after breath, after all this breath belongs to Him rightfully.
Nama 67 – VishnuSahasranama