Life air (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"life air" |"life breath" |"life force" |"life-air" |"outgoing air" |"vital air" |"vital force"

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Living entity means who has got that vital force of moving. Some of them are not moving also, just like trees. They do not move, but still they are living entity.

Interview -- July 5, 1972, New York:

Prabhupāda: So if it is accepted that religion means the law of God... Is that accepted? Now we have to study what are the special laws of God and what is the nature of God. That is divine search. So from Bhagavad-gītā we understand the nature of God, that he is the supreme father. Is there any objection? God is the supreme father. I think in Christian religion also they accept. Is it not? Now, the supreme father says that all living entities, not only these human being or the civilized human being but even the animals, the trees, plants, the insects, birds, beasts, fishes or other aquatics—any living entity, even a small insect. Living entity means who has got that vital force of moving. Some of them are not moving also, just like trees. They do not move, but still they are living entity. So from Bhagavad-gītā we understand that all living entities, irrespective of bodily feature, they are sons of God. What do you think of this conception?

Guest (1): I think it's probably... I think it's probably a better and more universal...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (1): ...notion of life than..., than you have in the somewhat more man-centered Western philosophy of...

Prabhupāda: That is defective.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

As soon as the vital force is off from this body, this body is a lump of matter. Therefore even if you do not know the spirit soul, any sane man can guess that something is missing in this body.

Room Conversation With David Lawrence -- July 12, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: If you become biased, then it will be impossible.

David Lawrence: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Then you cannot make progress. You have to come to the platform... Now, the common sense is that can you distinguish between matter and spirit? Can you distinguish?

David Lawrence: In what, in what respect?

Prabhupāda: That I was speaking, that the distinction between matter and spirit: the spirit is the vital force...

David Lawrence: Yes.

Prabhupāda: ...or you call spirit soul or ātmā. That you can distinguish. As soon as the vital force is off from this body, this body is a lump of matter. Therefore even if you do not know the spirit soul, any sane man can guess that something is missing in this body. Therefore this body is called dead. Now, that something is described definitely, is soul. So we can distinguish between the spirit and soul, some way or other. So as there is material world, there must be some spiritual world. Otherwise how the spirit is there? The spirit is there, the soul is there. That is spiritual. So two things we are experiencing: spirit and matter. So as we are experiencing this material world, so similarly there must be a spiritual world. There must be a spiritual world. Otherwise wherefrom the spirit comes?

Prāṇa is a life air which carries the soul. It is very small, atomic.

Room Conversation -- September 2, 1973, London:

Guest (4) (English woman): Could I ask please, if prāṇa is the life force, isn't it? Is it the prāṇa is the life force, isn't it?

Pradyumna: Says like prāṇa is the life force.

Guest (4): Is it in different parts of the body?

Prabhupāda: These are air. Prāṇa, in the prāṇa, air, the soul floats. Therefore the controlling the air is called prāṇāyāma. That is yogic process.

Guest (4): Thank you.

Prabhupāda: Prāṇa is a life air which carries the soul. It is very small, atomic. And not our men. Give her. She's answered. (laughs) Give her one.

Guest (4): Thank you.