Prashna Upanishad – III – Origin and Nature of Prana – 4   «   »

Prashna Upanishad – III – Origin and Nature of Prana – 4   «   »

यथा सम्रादेवाधिकृतान् विनियुङ्क्ते । एतन् ग्रामानोतान्
ग्रामानधितिष्ठस्वेत्येवमेवैष प्राण इतरान् प्राणान् पृथक्
पृथगेव सन्निधत्ते ॥ ३.४॥
yathā samrādevādhikṛtān viniyuṅkte . etan grāmānotān
grāmānadhitiṣṭhasvetyevamevaiṣa prāṇa itarān prāṇān pṛthak
pṛthageva sannidhatte .. 3.4..
Translation by Swami Sivananda
4 As an emperor commands his officials, saying; “Rule these villages or those,” so this prana employs the other pranas, each in its separate place.

Translation by Max Mueller
4. As a king commands officials, saying to them: Rule these villages or those, so does that Prâna (spirit) dispose the other prânas, each for their separate work.

Word Meaning
यथा (yathā) – just as
सम्राट् (samrāṭ) – king
एव (eva) – alone
अधिकृतान् (adhikṛtān) – officers
विनियुङ्क्ते (viniyuṅkte) – appoints
एतान् (etān) – these
ग्रामान् (grāmān) – villages
एतान् ग्रामान् (etān grāmān) – these villages (departments)
अधितिष्ठस्व (adhitiṣṭhasva) – reside here and govern
इति (iti) – thus
एवम् (evam) – in the same way
एव (eva) – only
एषः (eṣaḥ) – this
प्राणः (prāṇaḥ) – prāṇa
इतरान् प्राणान् (itarān prāṇān) – the other prāṇas
पृथक् पृथक् एव (pṛthak pṛthak eva) – separate separate only
सन्निधत्ते (sannidhatte) – assign
deity_Prashna

Sri Shankara’s Commentary (Bhashya) translated by S. Sitarama Sastri

Just as in the world, the soverign alone posts officers under him to different villages; how? ‘Look to these villages and those.’ So, as pointed out in the illustration, the chief Prâna commands other prânas such as the eye, etc., and his own different manifestations to their respective posts.

Prashna Upanishad – 4 – Prashna-3-4-yathā samrādevā – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Meaning and Commentary by Adi Shankaracharya (Sankara Bhashya) – Prashna-3-4