Prashna Upanishad – IV – Mental States and Bliss – 3   «   »

Prashna Upanishad – IV – Mental States and Bliss – 3   «   »

प्राणाग्नय एवैतस्मिन् पुरे जाग्रति । गार्हपत्यो ह वा एषोऽपानो
व्यानोऽन्वाहार्यपचनो यद्गार्हपत्यात् प्रणीयते प्रणयनादाहवनीयः
प्राणः ॥ ४.३॥
prāṇāgnaya evaitasmin pure jāgrati . gārhapatyo ha vā eṣo’pāno
vyāno’nvāhāryapacano yadgārhapatyāt praṇīyate praṇayanādāhavanīyaḥ
prāṇaḥ .. 4.3..
Translation by Swami Sivananda
3 The prana fires remain awake in this city. Apana is the Garhapatya Fire and vyana, the Anvaharyapachana Fire. And prana is the Ahavaniya Fire, so called from being taken since it is taken from the Garhapatya Fire. 

Translation by Max Mueller
3. The fires of the prânas are, as it were, awake in that town (the body). The Apâna is the Gârhapatya fire, the Vyâna the Anvâhâryapakana fire; and because it is taken out of the Gârhapatya fire, which is fire for taking out, therefore the Prâna is the Âhavanîya fire. Now the Apâna is identified with the Gârhapatya fire, no reason being given except afterwards, when it is said that the Prâna is the Âhavanîya fire, being taken out of the Gârhapatya, here called pranayana, in the same manner as the prâna proceeds in sleep from the apâna. The Vyâna is identified with the Dakshinâgni, the Southern fire, because it issues from the heart through an aperture on the right.

deity_Prashna

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

Com.—When the senses, the ear and the rest, are gone to sleep in this city, i.e., in this body of nine apertures, the five winds, prâna and the rest, called fires, being like fire, keep watch. This is their similitude with fires. This apâna is the gârhapatya fire. How is explained; just as, at the time of performing the agnihôtra, another fire named âhavanîya is obtained from the gârhapatya, so from the apâna during sleep, prâna, as it were, the âhavanîya fire is obtained. But Vyâna, emerging from the southern cavity of the heart is called the anvâhâryapachana, or the southern fire, from its connection with the south.

Links
Various resources on the Prashnopanishad
Upanishad Series – Kena Upanishad Commentary by Swami Chinmayananda

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