138! The Law of the Rhythmic Breath 



while life animates the physical entity, these 

 changes succeed one another ceaselessly and meth- 

 odically. 



According to the Shivdgama, the flow of the 

 Tattvas is " Ghari by Ghari " (about twenty-four 

 minutes), one after the other; and the current of 

 Prdna is active in all the centers of the prevalent 

 Tattva at the same time. This, however, does not 

 agree with the teaching of the modern Guras and 

 learned pundits of East India, but I believe I can 

 reconcile the two. 



The Shivdgama is none too clear in describing 

 these changes, and the Upanishads are entirely in- 

 definite on the subject. Therefore, it is not surpris- 

 ing that some students have confounded the Tatt- 

 vic changes, or the manifestations of Prdna in 

 Tattvic centers, with the changes of the Pranic 

 currents which are much longer, and this has led 

 to some confusion and diversity of opinion as to 

 the changes of breath. 



The succession of the Tattvas is not in the exact 

 order of their evolution, and it varies also accord- 

 ing to the part of the body in which the current 

 of Prana is at the time active. Thus, while it is 

 in the back part of the body on the right side, the 

 Tattvas change from Fdyu to Tejas, Prithivi, and 

 A pas; and when the life-current passes into the 

 front part of the right side they change from Apas 

 through Prithivi and Tejas back to Vdyu. The 



