Pranavaha Srotas: A Comprehensive Ayurvedic Understanding With Special Reference to the Cardiopulmonary System

Pranavaha Srotas is one of the most vital Srotas described in Ayurveda and is fundamentally associated with the maintenance and continuity of life. The term Prāṇa denotes the vital principle responsible for sustaining physiological functions, and Pranavaha Srotas represents the pathway through which Prāṇa is maintained and conveyed. Acharya Charaka identifies Hṛdaya and Mahāsrotas as the mūlasthāna of Pranavaha Srotas, whereas Acharya Suśruta identifies Hṛdaya and Rasavāhinī Dhamanī. The inclusion of Hṛdaya, which is not anatomically a part of the respiratory system, provides an important basis for understanding Pranavaha Srotas beyond an isolated respiratory tract. In contemporary physiology, respiration and circulation function as an interdependent cardiopulmonary unit. The respiratory system facilitates oxygenation of blood, while the cardiovascular system transports oxygenated blood to tissues and returns carbon dioxide to the lungs. This functional relationship provides a possible contemporary framework for understanding the Ayurvedic description of Pranavaha Srotas. The present review therefore explores Pranavaha Srotas as an integrated functional concept involving respiration, circulation, oxygen transport and maintenance of Prāṇa.[1,6,7]