14 The Law of the Rhythmic Breath 



Of as vital importance are these facts: The uni- 

 versal current of life, Prdna, or vital force, which 

 pervades all space and is commonly recognized in 

 the body as breath (the distinction will be ex- 

 plained later) is compounded of atoms, or elec- 

 trons, which are differentiated by their character- 

 istic motions into five forms of vibrations. West- 

 ern science has recognized only two of these subtle 

 ethers, and has not yet discovered their pro- 

 found influence upon all living things. 



We are compelled to use the Sanskrit terms for 

 these etheric forces, which are called generically 

 Tattvas, meaning literally a form of motion 

 (Mme. Blavatsky says the Tattvas "are both 

 Substance and Force, or Atomic matter and the 

 Spirit that ensouls it ") . The Tattvas referred 

 to in the Upanishads as " the five vital airs " are 

 specifically distinguished as ( i ) Akdsha, the sound 

 vibration; (2) Fdyu, the tangiferous vibration; 

 (3) Tejas, the luminiferous ether; (4) A pas, the 

 vibration of taste or gustiferous ether; and (5) 

 Prithivi, the odoriferous ether. 



These five Tattvas, every one of which has its 

 positive and negative phases, mingle in varying 

 proportions in both the solar and lunar currents. 

 In normal health, their flow and proportion varies 

 from time to time with absolute rhythmic pre- 

 cision, every Tattva having its period of predom- 

 inance for a longer or shorter period. If human 



