Author: Dr. Vandana Verma Assistant Professor Department of Kriya Sharir, Faculty of Ayurveda, IMS, BHU, Varanasi, India

1. Physio - Anatomical Consideration of
Pranavaha Srotas
Dr. Vandana Verma
Assistant Professor
Department of Kriya Sharir, Faculty of Ayurveda, IMS, BHU,
Varanasi, India

2. Introduction
 Body is composed of numerous Srotas, which have a significant
role in the maintenance of the equilibrium of body elements i.e.
Dosha, Dhatu, Mala.
 Acharya Charaka has described thirteen major gross srotamsi
simulating the major physiological systems of the body as known in
conventional modern system of medicine .
Prana vaha srotas, udaka vaha srotas, anna vaha srotas, rasa vaha srotas,
rakta vaha srotas, masa vaha srotas, meda vaha srotas, asthi vaha
srotas, majja vaha srotas, sukra vaha srotas, mutra vaha srotas, purish
vaha srotas, sweda vaha srotas

3.  Pranavaha Srotas means a channel or path through which external air enters into
body to sustain life.
In this paper my attempt is to discuss and understand the anatomical and
physiological aspect of pranavaha srotas in view of modern respiratory system
physiology.

4. Some important queries-
 What is pranavaha srotas?
 What is Prana in context to thirteen sthoola srotas?
 Pranavaha srotas should be considered as respiratory system or nervous system ?

5.  Prana- various meaning of word prana
- Air inhaled, wind
- The breath of life
- Breath, respiration
- Vitality
- Spirit
- Organs of vitality or sensation viz. prana, vac, cakshus, srota, manas
collectively.
- As a sign of vigor, energy, power. (
Monier William’s Sanskrita-English dictionary pg. no. 705)

6. Prana:
 In Ayurveda word Prana has been used to denote various meanings in
different context like –
Food (anna) - izk.kk% izk.kHk`RkkeUua yksdksfHk/kkofr A ( C.Su. 27/349)
izk.kksº;H;Urjks u`.kka okº;izk.kxq.kkfUor% A
/kkj;R;fojks/ksu “kjhja ik¥~pHkksSfrde~ AA ( S.Su. 17/18)
Prana pavan - air/wind/oxygen ukfHkLFk% izk.kiou% ----------A
“kjhjizk.k;ksjso la;ksxknk;q:Pp;rs A ( Sha.pu. 5/48- 50)
Vata dosha – Prana of living being. – lokZ fgps’Vk okrsu izk.kk%izkf.kuka Le`r% A (C.Su.
17/118)
Prana vayu /vata - a kind of vata among five type of vata dosha.

7. Prana:
 Organs of sensations and its pathways -
f”kjfl bfUnz;kf.k bfUnz;izk.kogkfu plzksrkafl lw;Zfeo xHkLr;% lafJrkfu A ( C.Siddhi. 9/4)
 Life, vitality –
izk.kk%izk.kHk`Rkka ;rzfJrk% losZfUnz;kf.k p ;nqRrek³~xkuka f”kjLrnfHk/kh;rs AA ( C.Su. 17/12)
eeZkf.kuke ekalfljkLuk;qvfLFklfU/k lfUuikrk% rs’kq LoHkkor ,oa fo”ks’ks.k izk.kfLr’BfUr A ( Su.Su. 6/16)
n”ksSok;rukU;kgq% izk.kk;s’kqizfrf’Brk% A “kaM~[kkS eeZ=;ad.BksjDr”kqØkStlh xqne~ AA ( Su.Su. 29)
 Dwadash prana- - vfXu% lkseks ok;q% lRoa jtLre% iapsfUnz;kf.kHkwrkResfr izk.kk%AA ( Su.Sha.
4/2)
 Among thirteen sthula srotas – Prana,Udaka, Anna-----------I
 In Yoga – it is original life force, the cosmic energy coming from sun and
connecting the elements of universe.

8. Pranavaha Srotas-
 On observation of name given to Srotas it seems that Acharyas has given the particular
name to srotas on the basis of substances which they carry (like prana, udaka, anna,
rasa, etc) not only on the basis of functions or organs which is the criteria of modern
physiology like respiration, digestion, musculo-skeletal system.
 Chakrapani has further explained the purpose of description of thirteen gross material
channels is to understand the normal physiological functional state of living body.

9. Pranavaha Srotas-
 The normal physiological function depends basically on three type of substances-
1. first category- intake of some nutrient substances (prana vayu, udaka, anna),
2. second category - substances which are retained in body form sthayi(permanent)
seven dhatu and fraction of it i.e. poshakansh nourishes permanent tissue through
sapta dhatu vaha srotas.
3. third category- some waste substances( mutra, purish, sveda ) formed in body
are expelled out of the body.
 So in relation to sthula srotas the word prana stands for air.

10. Pranavaha Srotas as Respiratory System
 The word Pranavaha srotas means a channel or path through which the
external air (prana vayu) enters into the body to sustain life.
 On the basis of the above description pranavaha srotas may be
consider the as respiratory system, since it carries prana vayu (air), its
main functional contribution is to provide oxygen to the body.
 The Prana vayu (fresh air/oxygen) is taken in during the act of
respiration via ventilatory mechanism which is regulated by mainly two
types of Vata dosha i.e. Prana vata and Udana vata.

11. Moolasthan of Pranavaha Srotas-
Acharaya Charak - Hridaya (heart) and Mahasrotas (alimentary canal)
Sushruta - Hridaya (heart) and Rasavahi dhamani (blood vessels) .
ewya bfr izHkoLFkkua A ( Chakarpani)
 Chakrapani has desribed Mulam as-“Mulamiti Prabhava Sthanam”,meaning thereby
that Mula of a srotas is-
the anatomical seat of the respective srotas
the main site of the pathology of that channel
the principal site of manifestation of disease.
 The set of channels is apparently described as the major seat of disease
manifestation which can be clinically examined in a patient by physician for
diagnostic purposes.
rs’kka rq [kyq lzksrlka ;FkkLFkwya dfrfpRizdkjkUewyr”p izdksifoKkur”pkuqO;k[;kL;ke%A ( C.Vi. 5/6)

12. Pranavaha srorodusti
Pranavaha srorodusti produces various symptoms like –
atisristam (increased rate of breathing),
atibaddham (difficulty in breathing),
kupitam, alpam or abhiksanam (breathing pattern is short with
increased frequency),
sa sahaba shula (breathing associated with sound and pain) etc,
The above symptoms show a quite similarity with various
respiratory diseases like as Swasa ,Kasa etc. In pathogenesis of
shvasa, ,hikka pranavaha srotas get involved(C.Chi.17/17).

13.  laxzgs nqf’V y{k.ka lkekU;a okrk|fo’ksf”kra nqf’Vy{k.kafeR;Fka% A (Chakrapani on C.Vi. 5/30)
 Only symptoms in general of vitiation of various srotas are described . Specific
symptoms due to vitiation of srotas by various type of dosha are not described.
 But on careful observation one can find that these symptoms of
Pranavahsrotodushti are related only to rate and rhythm of respiration or
difficult breathing (dyspnoea). These respiratory symptoms could be
because of disturbance in respiratory system organs, cardiovascular organs
or nutritional deficiency due to alimentary canal organs, involvement of
nervous system. This could be the reason of considering hridaya (heart,
brain) and Mahasrotas (alimentary canal), blood vessels as mool of
Pranavaha srotas.

14. Pranavaha Srotas as Nervous System
 izk.kkogkukfefr izk.klaKdokrogkukaaA ,rPp izk.kk[;fof”k’BL; ok;ksfoZf”k’Vlzksr%A lkekU;so rqok;ks%
lokZ ,o/keU; bfr u fojks/k% A Chakrapani on C.Vi.5/7)
According to Chakrapani Pranavaha Srotas stands for that Srotas which
transports a specific type of vata called Pranavata .
 f”kjfl bfUnz;kf.k bfUnz;izk.kogkfup lzksrkafl lw;Zfeo xHkLr;% lafJrkfu A ( C.Siddhi. 9/4) All
sensory and motor organs along with their pranavaha srotamsi (
afferent and efferent pathways)are basically connected to the head
(brain ) in a fashion similar to connections between sunrays and the
Sun.

15. Pranavaha Srotas as Nervous System
 lokZfg ps’Vk okrsuizk.kk%izkf.kukaLe`r% A (C.Su. 17/118) Charak has mentioned that all the
activities either physical or mental are due to Vata and that is why it is called as Prana
of all living being.
 Prana vata is situated in the head and other active sites are chest and throat. It
controls and regulates the intellectual functions, mental process and activities like
spitting, sneezing, belching, respiration and deglutition. All these activities are
governed by Nervous system.

16. Conclusion:
 On the basis of these descriptions some authors consider pranavaha srotas as nervous
system but Acharya Charak has not described separate gross channel for dosha. He
said that dosha move through all the channel of the body both sentient and insentient
parts. While factors beyond sensory perception i.e. manas move only in sentient
portion of the body.
 Functional regulation of all the channel depends on vata, pitta, kapha not only
pranavaha srotas (respiratory system).


17. Conclusion
 The pranavaha srotas should be considered as respiratory system in context to
sthula srotas but it must be studied in relation to nervous system, cardiovascular,
alimentary canal (GIT) since all the systems are functionally interlinked and
dependent on each other for their proper function.
 Since all the systems are functionally interrelated like nervous system is related with
Regulation of respiration, cardiovascular system with Transportation of prana i.e. O2,
alimentary canal provides nutrients required for synthesis of haemoglobin which is
main carrier of O2 .