ANNAMAYA PURUSHA

ANNAMAYA PURUSHA (Gross Sheath)

The first experiment was upon the gross Purusha and Chakra, which is a physical state where the Soul’s need is met by food or Anna. Food is known as Aahara in Sanskrit, meaning “absorption”. Here absorption of vibrations was studied. The three vibratory states are classified as Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic.

Sattvic foods are all vegetables and fruits, which vibrate with a steady flow of energy. Consumption of these foods gives the mental and vital a state of serenity and peace. These vibrations give mind capacity to expand and increase its subtle feelings.

Rajasic foods are animal foods or flesh foods. The vibration from these come in spurts and stimulate mental and vital energy for a passionate state of high activity.

Tamasic foods are alcoholic beverages, stale and putrefied foods, whose vibrations foster on unconscious state and bring about inertia. A conscious being, in whose nature these different states exist, ought to consume food to increase the Sattvic component of his or her nature, so that s(he) is able to transform other states (Rajasic and Tamasic) to this state. “Tamas is replaced by a divine peace and tranquil eternal repose out of which is released, as from the Supreme matrix of clam concentration, the play of action and knowledge, the Rajasic state of turbulence is replaced by self-possession and illimitable force; the Sattvic state of equilibrium is replaced by an illumination and spiritual bliss”⁸.

This knowledge frees the Spirit’s dependence on gross matter (physical); thus freed, Nature or Prakriti of the three Gunas becomes more conscious of the other subtle planes, that of Purusha.

Annamaya Purusha
Table – 1
Mean Sensitive Threshold Scores for Experimental and Control Groups.

Treatment	Primary Tastes	Mean Sensitive Threshold Test Scores (%)
		Control	Experimental		t-Values Between
		Pre-test (Initial) (1)	Pre-test (Initial) (2)	Pre-test (Initial) (3)	1&2	2&3
		Pre-test (Initial) (1)	Pre-test (Initial) (2)	Pre-test (Initial) (3)	1&2	2&3
Sound	Salt	12.5	49.1	95	5.0*	7.9*
	Sweet	15.6	29.1	73.4	2.2*	7.9*
	Sour	22.6	48.4	94.1	4.8*	9.8*
	Bitter	33.6	28.4	80.9	5.2*	8.8*
	MSG	27.4	40	81.6	2.5*	6.4*
“Prana”	Salt	22.8	53.1	75.8	6.5*	3.3*
	Sweet	13.9	35.9	55.5	4.2*	3.1*
	Sour	18.4	49.1	66.4	6.9*	2.3*
	Bitter	16.9	40.6	54.6	5.2*	3.2*
	MSG	14	35.9	47.6	4.8*	2.1*
Aroma I	Salt	15.9	48.7	73.8	4.0*	2.7*
	Sweet	20.5	38.7	66.2	1.8 NS	2.6*
	Sour	19.2	35	70	2.3*	4.7*
	Bitter	14.7	28.7	63.8	1.8 NS	3.7*
	MSG	19.2	25	57.5	0.9 NS	4.9*
Aroma II	Salt	13.8	28.7	70	6.9*	6.2*
	Sweet	18.7	27.5	73.8	1.8 NS	6.7*
	Sour	23.7	32.5	71.3	2.3*	6.8*
	Bitter	21.3	30	65	2.4*	5.3*
	MSG	16.3	23.8	46.3	3.4*	6.0*
Significant at 5% Level, NS : Non-Significant, MSG: Mono Sodium Glutamate

Taste is an important avenue along which our body accesses the information field of the universe. This in effect means that the sense of taste acquires information from the environment, matches this to the information fields in our own body, and thereby creates balance in life. The taste buds are exquisitely sensitive receptors that reveal the overall body’s amazing sensitivity and profound intelligence (Chopra, 1994) ⁹.

Table-1 illustrates Mean Sensitive Threshold Scores (%) for the five primary tastes, namely, Salt, Sweet, Sour, Bitter and that of Monosodium Glutamate, in the Pre-test and Post-test for the Experimental and Control Groups.

The Mean Sensitive Threshold Test Scores for the Experimental subjects, exposed to Sound ‘Prana’ and Aroma I and Aroma II Treatments, on all the five primary tastes, indicated that the Pre-test scores were higher when compared to the performance of the Control Group. The statistical findings revealed the difference in performance of the characteristic found to be significant. The Post-test scores of the Experimental Group showed better performance compared to the Pre-test scores for all the five primary tastes. The findings, also supported by the Statistical Test, indicated a higher significant result.

The Treatment of Sound, Prana and Aroma-I and Aroma-II on the Experimental Group produced sufficient sensitivity to discriminate between the concentrated and least concentrated solutions of different tastes. The exercise extended their taste sensitivity to determine these tastes when least present at one per cent level. But subjectively the subjects of the Experimental Group showed a better performance. However, this experiment helped them to develop, to stretch and feel tasteless states against concentrated solutions and feel the difference between these tastes; thereby an inner state of awareness was acquired by all members of the Experimental Group.

The Experimental Group, with Sound vibration, seemed to have higher test scores followed by Aroma-II, Aroma-I and Prana Treatments. Hearing and tasting vibration together seemed to widen the inner dimension of the Intraconscient than smell or breath with taste.

Table – 2
Effect of Sound, “Prana” and Aroma I and Aroma II treatments on Rajasic and Sattvic
Food Consumption (Before and After) among Experimental and Control Groups.

Treatment	Group	N	Weight(Kg)				t-Values
			Standard	Initial	Treatment		t-Values
			Standard	Initial	Rajasic Food	Sattvic Food	Rajasic Food	Sattvic Food
Sound	Expt.	15	50.3	50.2	50.5	49.5	0.11NS	0.24NS
	Control	16	51.1	52.1	53.1	51.9	0.20NS	0.53NS
	t-Value			0.80NS	1.14NS	0.04NS
Prana	Expt.	16	57.9	53.9	54.3	53.6	0.15NS	0.26NS
	Control	17	48.5	48.1	48.6	48.5	0.37NS	0.14NS
	t-Value			2.81*	2.64*	2.53*
Aroma I	Expt.	10	53.4	49.3	49.8	49.2	0.25NS	0.30NS
	Control	11	55.2	48.4	49.1	49	0.56NS	0.23NS
	t-Value			0.56NS	0.41NS	0.12NS
Aroma II	Expt.	10	57	53.2	53.8	52.6	0.31NS	0.21NS
	Control	10	56	50.6	50.7	49.6	0.20NS	0.18NS
	t-Value			2.61*	2.91*	2.78*
* Significant at 5% Level, NS : Non-Significant

Table – 2 indicates the effect of Rajasic food and Sattvic food consumption, before and after body weight of Experimental subjects. In comparison to the Control Group, under Sound, Prana, Aroma – I and Aroma – II Treatment.

It was revealed that subjects of the Experimental Group, exposed to Sound, Prana and Aroma Treatments, with consumption of Rajasic food for 30 days, showed a slight increase in wieght as compared to their initial weight, whereas when the same subjects consumed Sattvic food for 30 successive days, their weight was reduced. However, the difference in weight in respect of both Rajasic food and Sattvic food was not found statistically significant. The same trend of gain in weight between intial weight and after Rajasic food consumption, followed by decrease in weight after Sattvic food consumption, among the Control Group subjects, was observed during Sound, Aroma-I and Aroma-II Treatments. Statistical differences in weight between the Experimental and Control Groups were not seen in subjects exposed to Sound and Aroma I Treatment at all stages of weight observation. In the case of ‘Prana’ and Aroma Treatment, significant findings were found statistically.

Conscious breathing and eating together produced a subtler state, the density of grossness was reduced. Over weight is related to depositions of fat but if one consumes food and breaths, being aware of both these processes, weight reduction becomes a natural and spontaneous state. This was proved even in other treatments, namely, Sound and Aroma, but it was statistically significant in Prana Treatment.

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