Constitution of a human body:

The Physiological knowledge in the Garbha Upanishad is consistent with that fond in the oldest Upanishads. Like the other texts, it speaks of recursion, but it doesn’t list as many channels (vein and nerves) as the other texts do. This indicates that this Upanishad may be older than what has been assumed.

The human body consists of 107 marmas (secret spots or sensitive spots), 180 sutures or junction points, 109 nerves called as snayu, 700 channels, other nerves (vein), 500 majja (muscle/ tissue groups), 360 bones, and forty five million hairs.

The numbers 180 and 360 are obviously astronomical and related to the number of days in the year. Their occurrence is the assertion of the mirroring of the cosmos in the body.

The numbers 107 and 109 are also, but less obviously, astronomically related. The Vedic Rishies characterized the universe by the measure of 108, for it represents the distance to the sun and the moon from the earth, in multiples of their respective diameters. If the body mirrors the universe, it will have 108 parts, with 107 vulnerable joints (marmas), and 109 lashes to hold them together (snayu).

The heart weights 8 pals and tongue weights 12 palas, it has one prastha of pitta (bile), one adhaka of kapha, one kudava of sukra, and two prasthas of fat. There is no laid down measure or weight of the urinary or the other solid excretions, which are dependent on the intake. The measure of the urinary or solid excretions is dependent on the intake

[ 1 pala= 45.5 gm; 1prasthan= 728gm; 1 adhakam= 2,912 gm; 1kudavam= 182 gm]

The body also has got one ser (ser is a measure weighing around 300 grams) weighing biological fire, two ser weighing watery substance, a quarter ser weighing semen or other reproductive fluid and two-sers weighing fat.

(Having thus known the complete constitution of a human body), one should understand his composition and divert all his power and energy into the path of attaining salvation. This Moksha Sastra (the scripture leading to Salvation) was enunciated by the great sage, Pippalaada. (Second stress given in the Upanishad itself).

Fires have taken their positions in one’s face, stomach and the heart and are referred by the names, kaarhapatneeyaagni and respectively. With these fires present within, an internal homa or yagna (or the ritual sacrifice) takes place within a human body regularly and incessantly.

Why is the body so called ? It has three fires: the Kosthagni ripens all that is eaten; the Darsanagni helps one see colour etc., the Jnanagni is the mind which helps perform good and bad deeds.

The Daksinagni is in the heart; Garhapatya in the belly and Ahavaniya in the mouth; the intellect is the performer’s consort, contentment is Diksha, sense organs are the utensils, head is the jar, hair is the sacred grass, the mouth the interior of the altar etc.

The heart measures 8 Palas, tongue 12, bile is one Prastha , phlegm one Adhaka. Sukla is one Kudupa, fat two Prasthas, Urine and mala two Prasthas each, depending on what is taken in daily.

The human body is constituted of five things (the five forces of earth, sky, air, water and fire) and is of six shelters (like the physical, ethereal and so on). It is of six different characters and seven compounds, three impurities and has two points of source of birth. It is dependent on four types of food.

Out of the body which portions represent each such force of nature ? That portion which is hard is representative of the earth, the liquid one is of the water, the hot one is of the fire, the airy portion is of the air and the portion which gives space is representative of the sky or the space.

The earth force enables to sustain, water helps consolidation, fire enlightens, air makes the team work, and the space gives time and options to carry on the various duties.

Each of the sense organs are created for some specific purpose – the ear (srodhram) for hearing sounds, the skin (twak) for feeling the touch, eyes for the vision, tongue for enjoying the taste, nose to smell, the birth organ (upastham) to enjoy pleasure and the rectum (apaanam) to shed the unwanted from the body.

The jivan (or the soul) identifies through the brain, desires with the mind and speaks with the language (vaak).