Meditation upon Udgitha in the form of Pranava helps to meditate on Brahman, explained M.K. Srinivasan in a discourse. The Devas and Asuras fought against each other. The celestials meditated on Udgitha with a view to defeating the demons. At first they meditated upon Udgitha as the nose. The demons then attacked the nasal organ. In the beginning, the nose could smell only good things. With the attack of the demons, it began to smell foul things too. Then the celestials meditated upon Udgitha as the sense of speech. The asuras attacked the organ of speech, so that it began to utter lies.
Then the devas meditated upon Udgitha as the eyes. And the eyes began to see ugly things. Then the devas meditated upon Udgitha as the ears. But the demons attacked the ears, so that the ears began to hear evil things. Then the devas meditated upon Udgitha as the mind. The asuras attacked the mind too, so that it began to think evil thoughts. Finally, the devas meditated upon Udgitha as mukhyaprana (vital airs). The asuras tried to attack prana and the Chandogya Upanishad says that the asuras were destroyed like a lump of mud hitting a rock.
What the story points out is that when a person meditates upon Pranava as Prana, no harm will touch him. The Mukhyaprana is opposed to evil; it sustains itself and also sustains the indriyas. And meditation on Mukhyaprana ensures that the indriyas are kept on the correct path.
Sage Angirasa is said to have got his name from meditation upon prana. Mukhyaprana is the essence (rasa) of all angas and hence the name Angirasa. Brihaspathi and Sage Baka too benefited through meditation upon Udgitha as Prana.
