[Advaita-l] prana and the lifetime

[Michael Shepherd]

Dear Vidyashankar,

Thank you for a prompt reply !

As advice, I wouldn't challenge it. But I wondered if there were any grounds
for the precision about age. Otherwise, I would think that the teachings on
kosha and varnashrama are more applicable in practice than a statement like
this.

The curse of short-term memory in advancing age certainly favours spiritual
work more than mental work, I find !

Michael

-----Original Message-----
From: advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
[mailto:advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org]On Behalf Of
Vidyasankar Sundaresan
Sent: 07 October 2009 14:30
To: Advaita List
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] prana and the lifetime






Dear Michael,



Any such textual reference about what prANa is directed towards at

different ages needs to be taken, not as a statement of principle, but

as what is called arthavAda. The aim of such a statement would be to

exhort people to turn their attention to inner development at least at

a late age in their lives.



Regards,

Vidyasankar


> For reasons individual and universal, I'm interested in vanaprashtha --
and
> so will others need to be, if as recently estimated, babies born now will
> live a hundred years..
>
> I read yesterday that prana is directed, up to the age of forty, to the
> activities of the physical body; from forty to seventy, to mental
> development; and from seventy onward, to spiritual development.
>
> Is there any scriptural authority for this statement ? In Ayurveda perhaps
?
> In Saivism ? It seems open both to interpretation and misinterpretation as
> it stands.

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