Śāṅkhāyana (Kauṣītaki) Āraṇyaka 9.7

9.7

ŚĀ 9,7
prāṇo hoccakrāma | tatas tad yatheha saindhavaḥ suhayaḥ paḍbīśaśaṅkūn saṃkhided evam asau prāṇān samakhidat | te ha sametyocur bhagavan motkramīr iti | sa hovāca prāṇaḥ kiṃ me 'nnaṃ bhaviṣyatīti | yat kiṃcāśvabhya ivāśakunibhya iti | kiṃ me vāso bhaviṣyatīty āpa iti hocuḥ | tasmād vā ayam aśiṣyan purastāc copariṣṭāc cādbhiḥ paridadhāti | lambhuko hāsya vāso bhavaty anagno hi bhavati | had dha smaitat satyakāmo jābālo gośrute vaiyāghrapadyāyoktvovāca | apy evaṃ śuṣkasya sthāṇoḥ prabrūyāj jayerann asya śākhāḥ praroheyuḥ palāśanīti | vanaspate śatavalśo viroheti dyāṃ mā lekhīr antarikṣaṃ mā mā hiṃsīr iti ha yājñavalkyaḥ ||

ŚĀ 9.7: Breath departed. Then, just as in this world a noble Indus steed might tear out the tethering pegs of its hobbles, so did it tear out the [other] vital breaths. They assembled and said: "Venerable sir, do not depart!" Breath said: "What shall be my food?" "Whatever there is, even down to dogs and birds," they said. "What shall be my clothing?" "Water," they said. Therefore, when about to eat, one surrounds it with water both beforehand and afterwards. He becomes a receiver of clothing; indeed, he is not naked. Having spoken this to Gośruta Vaiyāghrapadya, Satyakāma Jābāla said: "Even if one were to tell this to a dry stump, its branches would be born and leaves would sprout forth: 'O tree, sprout with a hundred branches! Do not scratch heaven! Do not harm the intermediate space!' Thus said Yājñavalkya."