Indian Culture is founded on the principles of Gayatri (the protector of prana and the Goddess of wisdom and pure intelligence) and Yajna (noble deeds). Gayatri is revered as the mother and Yajna the father of Indian Culture.

Gayatri - the protector of prana

The scripture "Aitareya Brahmana" defines Gayatri as "gayan pranan trayate sa Gayatri", meaning, "That which protects prana is Gayatri." Prana means the source of liveliness, consciousness and vitality. The element within us that grants us the ability to move, work, think and possess wisdom and life is called prana. It is the presence of prana that keeps us alive. When prana leaves the body, a person dies and the body becomes useless. Thus in other words, prana is the soul residing in our body. Due to the presence of prana, living organisms are called prani. Physical matter such as rocks, water, wood, etc. is devoid of prana. When the prana of a person becomes weak, his physical appearance may not seem to be affected but internally he feels helpless and powerless, as if his strength has been drained. There are people who appear physically strong but are very weak internally (for example, fearful). They get exhausted very easily and experience dizziness after sometime. Their face looks glim and their speech sounds unimpressive. It takes a long time for them to recover from a minor disease. This is due to insufficient prana.

The insufficiency of prana has damaging effects on the mind also. The mind unnecessarily imagines of incidents of fear, distress and discomfort. For example, a person may think, "I will run into difficulty" when there is no chance of any difficulty being encountered. And when difficulties really surround him, he becomes nervous and panicky and passes sleepless nights. Apprehension and depression accompany him all the time. He thinks of failure in any task he undertakes. To him, people seem selfish, deceptive, fools and/or enemies. He does not trust people’s honesty and gentlemanliness. Other symptoms that result from the insufficiency of prana include nightmares, tension, impatience, an atheistic attitude, etc.

A person who is full of prana lives in a different world. He is enthusiastic, determined, courageous, patient, hopeful and active. He may be physically weak and less educated and may live in substandard conditions, yet, because of the vibrancy of his prana, he seizes opportunities and executes deeds that surprise even those who cannot succeed despite an abundance of facilities. Human strength is derived from prana, not from bones and muscles. At the time of death, prana leaves the body and all the body components (muscles, heart, lungs, liver, etc.) become inactive. A person whose prana is strong and protected from becoming depleted becomes powerful and hardworking and achieves happiness in the external world (materialistic happiness) and of the inner self (spiritual happiness)...