Power and Purity of Pavan - I

गोष्पदीकृतवारीशं मशकीकृतराक्षसम् ।रामायणमहामालारत्नं वन्देऽनिलात्मजम् ॥१॥ goṣpadīkṛtavārīśaṃ maśakīkṛtarākṣasam |rāmāyaṇamahāmālāratnaṃ vande'nilātmajam ||1|| I bow to the son of the wind god, who crossed the ocean as if it were a puddle in the footprint of a calf, who crushes demons as if they were mosquitoes, and who is the jewel in the great garland of the Ramayan..I salute and surrender to the one, born of Vayu (vande-anilatmajam). Vayu, or the wind, is also known as Anila. ‘Anilayam’ is without an abode, roof or shelter. Air does not stay in any one place; it spreads over space and moves over mountains. It penetrates even the smallest cracks through doors and windows. It creeps into every nook and cranny and just cannot be stopped. Hence, a-nilayam—it is not confined to anyone, anything or any place.The allegory of the Yaksha in the Kenopanishad illustrates the power of the wind. When asked by the Yasha to introduce himself, Vayu answers, ‘I can move everywhere in space. I can carry or pull whatever is on Earth.’As a gentle breeze, air soothes, cools, caresses and delights us. Assuming the mighty form of a strong wind, a hurricane or a typhoon, it has the might, the power to blow away, or uproot anything in its path and throw it far away. And finally, within us, as prana, it moves in every cell of our body and sustains our very life by giving us oxygen.To be continued.

Power and Purity of Pavan - I

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