DHARAM SHIKSHA - 25 BOL (BOL 6)
Jai Jinendra kids!
We have already discussed 5 Bol in our previous blogs. Now we are going to learn about Bol 6 – Bal Pran 10.
🌟 What are Bal Pran?
The word “Pran” means life-force thats help a living being in staying alive.
“Bal Pran” means the strengths that a living being uses to live and function.
In Jainism, there are 10 Bal Prans. Different living beings have different numbers of these life-powers.
The more developed the living being is, the more Bal Prans it can have.
Let’s understand all 10 Bal Prans one by one.
1️⃣Shrotra Indriya Bal Pran – Power of Hearing
This is the power of the ears to hear.
👂 It allows us to hear sounds, music, voices and other noises.
When your teacher calls your name and you hear it, your Shrotra Indriya Bal Pran is working.
2️⃣Chakshu Indriya Bal Pran – Power of Sight
This is the power of the eyes to see.
👀 It allows us to see colours, shapes, people, animals and everything around us.
When you look at a rainbow and see its beautiful colours, your Chakshu Indriya Bal Pran is working.
3️⃣ Ghraan Indriya Bal Pran – Power of Smell
This is the power to smell.
👃 It helps us recognize different smells, such as the fragrance of a flower or the pungent smell of a drain.
For example, when you smell freshly baked cookies from another room, your Ghraan Indriya Bal Pran is working!
4️⃣ Rasana Indriya Bal Pran – Power of Taste
This is the power of the tongue to taste.
It helps a living being know whether something is spicy, bitter, salty, sour or sweet.
👅 For example, when you eat a mango and know that it is sweet, your Rasana Indriya Bal Pran is working.
5️⃣ Sparsh Indriya Bal Pran – Power of Touch
This is the power of the sense of touch.
It helps a living being feel touch—whether something is hot, cold, soft, hard, light, heavy, rough or smooth.
🌱 For example, even a plant has the ability to respond to touch.
6️⃣ Mann Bal Pran – Power of the Mind
This is the power of the mind to think and understand.
🧠 It helps us think, remember, imagine, make decisions and understand things.
For example, when you solve a Math problem in your head, your Mann Bal Pran is working.
7️⃣ Vachan Bal Pran – Power of Speech
This is the power that allows us to communicate through words and sounds.
🗣️ We use it when we speak, ask questions, or express our thoughts.
For example, when someone says "Happy Birthday" and you respond, “Thank you,” you are using your Vachan Bal Pran.
8️⃣ Kaya Bal Pran – Power of the Body
This is the power of the body to move and perform physical activities.
💪 It helps us walk, run, jump, pick things up and move our body in general.
When you run and play with your friends, your Kaya Bal Pran is working.
9️⃣ Shwasoshvas Bal Pran – Power of Breathing
This is the power that helps a living being breathe.
🌬️ We continuously breathe in and breathe out. This process is called Shwasoshvas.
So, the ability to inhale and exhale is called Shwasoshvas Bal Pran.
🔟 Ayushya Bal Pran – Power of Life
❤️ Every living being has a certain Ayushya, or lifespan. As long as its Ayushya remains, the living being continues to live.
Now Ayushya Bal Pran is the power that allows a living being to remain alive for its lifespan.
⭐ A simple way to understand them
Imagine that you are sitting in a garden.
You feel the grass with your hand — Sparsh Indriya Bal Pran. You taste a fruit — Rasana Indriya Bal Pran . You see a flower and sniff it— Ghraan Indriya Bal Pran. You see its beautiful colour — Chakshu Indriya Bal Pran. You hear the birds chirping — Shrotra Indriya Bal Pran. You think about the beautiful times you've spent in this garden — Mann Bal Pran. You tell your friend about it — Vachan Bal Pran. You both get up and start playing — Kaya Bal Pran. Now you're panting, you're breathing in the fresh air - Shwasoshvas Bal Pran. And all of this is possible because you are alive — Ayushya Bal Pran.
That is how the 10 Bal Prans help a living being function and live. 🌱✨
🌟An Important Thing To Remember
Not every living being has all 10 Bal Prans. Different living beings possess different Bal Prans depending on their level of development.
For instance:
Ekindriya Jeevs will have 4 Bal Prans - Sparsh Indriya, Kaya, Shwasoshvas and Ayushya.
Beindriya Jeevs will have 6 Bal Prans - all of the above and also Chakshu Indriya and Vachan.
Teindriya Jeevs will have 7 Bal Prans - all of the above and Ghraan Indriya.
Chauindriya Jeevs will have 8 Bal Prans - all of the above and Rasana Indriya.
Panchendriya Jeevs will have 10 Bal Prans - they will also have Shrotra Indriya and Mann.
Now it is important to note here that not ALL Panchendriya Jeevs will have all 10 Bal Praans. This is because Panchendriya Jeevs can be of two types - Sangyi and Asangyi.
What are Sangyi and Asangyi Panchendriya Jeevs?
Sangyi Panchendriya Jeevs are those who have Mann. Asangyi Panchendriya Jeevs have all 5 senses, but they do not have Mann.
So essentially, Asangyi Panchendriya Jeevs have 9 Bal Prans (all except Mann), while Sangyi Panchendriya Jeevs have all 10.
🌱Our religion teaches us to live such a life that not even ONE Bal Pran of any Jeev is hurt by our thoughts, words or actions. This is the most beautiful and comprehensive definition of "Ahimsa." 🌱
STORY TIME - Megh Kumar
Long ago, there was a Prince named Megh Kumar. He was the son of King Shrenik and had everything he could wish for—a beautiful palace, delicious food and every kind of luxury.
One day, Megh Kumar met Bhagwan Mahavir and was deeply inspired by His teachings. Megh Kumar decided to give up his royal life and become a Jain Sadhu.
But becoming a Sadhu was not easy.
One night, Megh Kumar was trying to sleep when other Sadhus moved around the place where he was resting. In the darkness, some Sadhus accidentally stepped over him.
Megh Kumar became irritated.
"Why did I leave my palace?" he thought.
"There, I had a soft bed and every comfort. Here, I cannot even sleep peacefully!"
His mind started pulling him back towards his old royal life.
"Perhaps becoming a Sadhu was a mistake. Maybe I should go back to my palace."
Megh Kumar had forgotten the reason he had chosen the path of Moksha.
The next day when he went to Bhagwan Mahavir, Bhagwan already knew what was happening in his mind.
That's when Bhagwan decided to remind Megh Kumar of something he had completely forgotten—his previous birth.
🐘 Megh Kumar's Previous Birth
Bhagwan Mahavir said to him:
"Megh Kumar, do you remember who you were in your previous birth?"
Megh Kumar listened carefully as Bhagwan Mahavir reminded him of the time when he had been born as a powerful elephant.
And suddenly, Megh Kumar's past began to unfold before him.
🔥 The Terrible Forest Fire
Years ago, when Megh Kumar was an elephant, a terrible forest fire broke out.
The flames spread rapidly through the forest.
Trees were burning.
Bushes were catching fire.
Animals were running everywhere, desperately trying to escape.
The elephant somehow managed to escape the fire.
But the experience frightened him deeply.
He thought:
"What if another forest fire comes one day? What will happen to all these helpless animals?"
The elephant decided to do something.
He wanted to create a safe shelter where all the animals could take refuge if another fire broke out.
So, he cleared a huge stretch of land.
He removed the plants, bushes and trees from that area.
He even pulled out the grass growing there.
It was a large, open space where animals could gather safely.
🐘 The Elephant's Compassion
One day, another terrible forest fire broke out.
The animals came running from every direction.
Deer, birds, rabbits and many other creatures rushed towards the open space the elephant had prepared.
One after another, they entered the shelter.
The elephant stood there, protecting them.
And then something unexpected happened.
The elephant felt an itch on his body.
He lifted one of his feet to scratch the itchy spot.
But just at that moment, a tiny rabbit jumped into the space underneath his raised foot!
The elephant was about to put his foot down.
But then he saw the rabbit.
He realized that if he lowered his foot, he might crush the tiny creature.
So what did he do?
He kept his foot raised!!
🔥 Two and a Half Days
The forest fire continued to rage for two and a half days.
And throughout those two and a half days, the elephant continued to hold his foot up.
Imagine that!
His leg must have become tired.
His body must have been in pain.
But he did not move his foot because he knew a tiny rabbit was underneath it.
Finally, when the fire died down, the animals slowly began leaving the shelter.
The rabbit also moved away.
Now the elephant tried to lower his foot - but his leg had become so stiff that he could not put it down properly.
He lost his balance... and fell.
For three days and three nights, the elephant suffered from severe pain.
Eventually, he died.
But his compassion had created a powerful karmic result.
Because of his compassionate act towards the little rabbit, he was born in his next life as Megh Kumar, the son of King Shrenik.
🌟 Bhagwan Mahavir's Lesson
As Megh Kumar remembered everything, Bhagwan Mahavir explained:
"Megh Kumar, think about what you did for that little rabbit. You faced tremendous suffering for the sake of another living being. And because of your compassion, you received this precious human birth. So how can you become upset because your fellow Sadhus accidentally stepped over you?"
Megh Kumar realized how small his present difficulty was compared with the suffering he had willingly endured to save the rabbit.
In his elephant birth, he had understood that the rabbit's life was precious. He protected all the Bal Prans of that little creature with full dedication.
He didn't think:
"It is only a tiny rabbit. My life is more important."
Instead, he protected it.
This is the essence of Ahimsa—understanding that every living being wants to live and every living being's life is precious.
🌸 The Final Lesson
Megh Kumar was deeply moved by Bhagwan Mahavir's words.
He realized his mistake and decided to continue his spiritual journey with courage, patience and self-control.
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