Praana Pratishta
Prana pratishtha is the science of directly infusing life-force into matter.
When an Enlightened being performs prana pratishtha on an idol it becomes an independent intelligence, a direct vehicle of the Divine cosmic energy capable of answering prayers healing ailments and granting boons.
Scriptural References
The renowned Vedic text, the Taittiriya Upanishad, symbolically describes the descent of the Divine into the world of form –
“Aakaashaat vaayuhu, vaayor- agnihi Agner-aapaaha, aapaha prithivihiyam” (From the pure formless Space emerged the element of Air, from air emerged Fire, from Fire, Water from Water, Earth…) ..everything in the world, including oneself can be a worthy vessel for the Divine energy
The concept of many gods unique to the Vedic tradition stems from this view that everything in the world, including oneself can be a worthy vessel for the Divine energy. To commune directly with this energy is not easy for the average human mind, but to connect with it through a beloved form is a joy for the devotee.
When the Hindu worships the stone idol of his ishta devata, his favorite deity he is hardly worshipping the stone itself but instead, is in direct communion with the Divine energy expressing through that idol – a subtle truth that many miss who condemn the worship of idols in the Vedic tradition. The 330 million deities that make up the Hindu pantheon of gods symbolize this very idea: that the Divine lies hidden in everything, everywhere awaiting only the touch of awakening.
Introduction
This process of awakening is known in Sanskrit as prana pratishtha, literally meaning, the establishing of life-breath.
A qualified Hindu priest may perform ‘mantra pratishtha’, invoking the deity’s energy through sacred chants and proper ceremonies and inviting it to enter into the idol.
But significantly, only an Enlightened being is authorized to perform prana pratishtha – which is the direct infusion of life-force into matter. When an enlightened being performs prana pratishtha on an idol he not only brings it to life but transmits to it his own enlightened state of being. Such an idol, now rightly called a deity becomes an independent intelligence, a direct vehicle of the Divine cosmic energy capable of answering prayers healing ailments and granting boons.
Paramahamsa Nithyananda is one such enlightened being who is adept in the science of prana pratishtha.
Every day, thousands around the world are witnessing the powers of prana pratishtha in the idols energized by Nithyananda. With a word of blessing or a wave of his hand, Nithyananda empowers these deities from thousands of miles away to heal and bless devotees and even to materialize sacred items like rudraksha beads and holy ash. To those of us who struggle to grasp the mysterious laws of the cosmos, it’s impossible to understand the intimate phenomenon of prana-pratishtha.
But for the followers of Nithyananda, it is neither a matter of faith nor science for the miracles they are witnessing everyday have surpassed the boundaries of both faith and science as we understand them.
What exactly happens during prana-pratishtha?
This deeply mystical process can be explained to some extent by the principle of quantum entanglement. Entanglement is a term used in quantum theory to describe the way that particles of energy or matter can become correlated to predictably interact with each other,regardless of how far apart they are. Which means, the state and actions of one of these particles can instantaneously influence the state and actions of other through the process of interference.
Entanglement is one of the many mysterious truths that Newtonian science could not even have imagined, for it questions the concepts of time, space and Reality itself. ..the idols energized by Nithyananda practically become extensions of Himself no matter where they are located physically – even halfway across the planet.
A colossus of extraordinary yogic powers and enlightened consciousness, Paramahamsa Nithyananda has the rare ability to subtly force dead matter to enter into entanglement with his own superconscious energy and thus become an alive, conscious power.
Once the cycle of entanglement is established, the idols energized by Nithyananda practically become extensions of Himself no matter where they are located physically – even halfway across the planet. They become pure channels of cosmic energy functioning with independent intelligence yet in instantaneous contact with his own superconscious space.