The Orb of the Moon

 By the orb of the moon, the pulmonary venous conduit is meant. So when it is said that the Ganga overfloods the orb of the moon emerging from the foot of Visnu, it means the flow of oxygenated blood through the pulmonary venous conduit. The origin of the Ganga, standing for the origin of the entire circulatory flow, is (rightly) taken to be the flow of oxygen emanating from the alveoli (the "feet dust" of Visnu) mixing with the "water" in the capillary networks. 

On the Identity of the Soma Plant

 The Soma plant should be the pulmonary arteriole at the level of the acinus. When it is pressed by stones, the alveoli, the soma juice (oxygenated blood) oozes out of the crushed portions (the capillaries).

The consumption of soma by human beings is well attested in Vedic ritual. The Soma Mandala of the Rigveda is completely dedicated to Soma Pavamana, and is focused on a moment in the ritual when the soma is pressed, strained, mixed with water and milk, and poured into containers. These actions are described as a representation of a variety of things, including a king conquering territory, the Sun's journey through the cosmos, or a bull running to mate with cows (represented by the milk).

The Bronchial Arteries -- the Gold of the Puranas

 It is the bronchial arteries that are referred to as "gold" in the puranic texts. Meru is golden because its four "sides," the secondary bronchi, alongwith the summit, the primary bronchus, are "decorated" with the bronchial arteries. It is this "golden" flow (of oxygenated blood) that makes the entire Meru resplendent. 

Note: The four flows that are said to course through and irrigate the four regions of Ilavrta, that have their origin in the four trees mounted on the four buttress mountains of Mt. Meru seem to be the flow of the bronchial arteries. If that is the case then this must mean that the four regions of Ilavrta, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western, stand for the four secondary bronchi (as the bronchial arteries course along these bronchi).

 

"The moisture of the earth, which the sun attracts by his rays, he again parts with ..."

 The "moisture of the earth" refers to the "waters," the deoxygenated blood coursing through the p. arteries and its branches towards the final end point, the alveolar region. These arteries and branches run alongside the "rays of the sun," the bronchi. Poetically speaking, the sun, by means of its rays, is sucking up the waters, the moisture. The waters are, as it were, being pulled towards the sun or attracted by its rays. 

These waters or moisture of the earth is again released, as it were, by the sun--its rays--at the level of the alveoli. The deoxygenated blood is reoxygenated and released as most pure "rain" into the "crops" and the "plants," the (venous) capillaries. This is on the side of the p. venous network. The p. vein is also known as the "moon," and therefore it is said that the waters are transmitted to the moon. 

The poet-anatomist is viewing the sun or the bronchial network as the agent that mediates the transformation of the "waters." The p. arterial flow (deoxygenated) transforms into the p. venous (oxygenated) flow due to the activity of the sun (the bronchi and the alveoli). This physiological role is highlighted. 

Or, perhaps it's once again an ingenious innovation of our poet-anatomist to highlight the difference between the conducting and the functional zones of the lung. The acinus is the productive zone; it's fertile and it's supposed to rain here so that "food" may be produced; in contrast to the higher (conducting) zones where the rain or the waters are merely to be guided and conducted (towards the acinus).

A Conclusion Derived from the Connection between Ananta and Varuni

 

Ananta (the primary p. artery) is attended by a specific manifestation of prakrti known as Varuni (deoxygenated blood). This came up during the churning of the ocean and it was said to be taken by the asuras. From these connections, it would be reasonable to assume that the asuras belong to the p. arterial realm; they are perhaps the neural entities of this region. This is perhaps the reason why the descriptions of the nether regions (patala)--the abode of the asuras--abound with references to snakes (p. arteries).

On the Body of the Virat

 It's the (primary) neural entity associated with the primary bronchus that seems to be "manas." The primary  bronchus  itself seems to be the body of the VIRAT; and the two upper and the two lower (lobar) bronchi seem to be the head and hands and the thighs and feet respectively. The four sides of Meru have the colours of the four castes; and as the four castes are held to emanate from the mouth, hands, thighs and feet of VIRAT; therefore it's logical to think that it's the lobar bronchi--the  four sides of Meru--that constitute the head and the limbs of VIRAT. Therefore the members of the four  castes are the neural entities belonging to these regions. This also provides a clue with regard to the division of the five islands beginning with Plaksa. As all four categories are present within each of these dvipas, each such entity must therefore include all four lobar regions. They probably indicate deeper and deeper levels of the hierarchy of the bronchial tree.   

The "Pyramid" Represents the Human Bronchial Tree

The "pyramid" of ancient Egypt, in the opinion of this author, is an intelligent representation of the bronchial tree [see: importance of the cardio-respiratory apparatus in the ancient world; in my earlier posts]. The bronchial tree may be imagined as having four sides.

A pyramid of ancient Egypt.

An image of a portion of the human bronchial tree below which is written, "The bronchial tree is hierarchical." An image of a pyramid appears below these words.

There is a hierarchy of bronchial conduits. The bronchi branch dichotomously (albeit irregularly) at each level so that each consecutive airway gives rise to two progressively smaller airways. Due to this branching pattern, we have a pyramidal hierarchy of conduits.

And the ancient pyramid is a representation of this hierarchy present within the human bronchial tree.

As the branching pattern of the human bronchial tree is held to be DICHOTOMOUS (each parent bronchus gives rise to two child bronchi), it generates a pyramidal structure as shown in the diagram below.

Dichotomous branching: simplified model. Image source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Bronchial-tree-pattern-left-monopodial-and-right-dichotomic_fig5_262387669

Diagram illustrating the branching structure of the lung airways. Image source: https://musculoskeletalkey.com/anatomy-and-physiology-of-the-respiratory-system/

The number of bronchi at various levels of this pyramidal hierarchy would be 1 (if we include the trachea), 2, 4, 8, 16, ...

If one were to (architecturally) represent the bronchi using equal-sized bricks, one would probably get a STEP PYRAMIDAL structure like in the image below.

A step pyramidal structure. Diagram made by this author.

Now, the earliest Egyptian pyramids were STEP PYRAMIDS! "Step pyramids are structures which characterized several cultures throughout history, in several locations throughout the world. " Whether it be the Ziggurat of Ur, the Pyramid of Djoser, El Castillo, Chichen Itza, Mexico or the seven‑tiered pyramid of Koh Ker, Cambodia, the step pyramidal structure is ubiquitous and almost inextricably bound with religion in the ancient world. Even some of the Vedic sacrificial altars (vedi) have this distinct pyramidal design.

Pyramid of Djoser

seven‑tiered pyramid of Koh Ker, Cambodia

El Castillo, Chichen Itza, Mexico

Stepped pyramids in Teotihuacan, Mexico

Vedic sacrificial altar. Image source: https://www.hinduwebsite.com/rites.asp

Therefore, if the estimation of this author is correct, then this architectural representation is endowed with a special esoteric meaning. It relates to the MICROCOSM, the lung and the human BRONCHIAL TREE in particular. There is a kind of microcosmic emulation going on with the participants (such as the pharaohs) representing the entities within the cardio-respiratory system such as the neural entities.

One other interesting aspect with regard to the bronchial tree (and, therefore, the pyramids) is that it was this tree that was referred to by the ancients as the tree of (material) life / existence!

A portion of the human bronchial tree