The Philosophy of the Upanishads c11.s2.t4.7

Language: English

c11.s2.t4.7.1

Both definitions apply better to exspiration than to inspiration. Though in Bṛih. 1. 3. 3 and Chând. 1. 2. 2 prâṇa as the vehicle of scent appears in its more general meaning of "breath" (inspiration and exspiration), in the parallel passage Tal. Up. Br. 2. 1. 16 the apâna takes its place:—"Its misfortune is that it inspires an evil odour by the apâna."¹ Here therefore apâna is certainly inspiration. So in Tal. Up. Br. 1. 60. 5:—*apânena jighrati*, "a man smells with inspiration," not "one smells with exhalation (!)." The same argument applies in Tal. Up. Br. 4. 22. 2–3; the world-producing waters "*huss* iti eva prâc'iḥ prâs'vasan; sa vâva prâṇo 'bhavat. Tâḥ prâṇya apânan, sa vâ apâno 'bhavat." The sound *huss* and the expression *prâc'iḥ prâs'vasan* point quite unmistakeably to prâṇa as exspiration, and consequently to apâna as inspiration. The principal passage is Bṛih. 3. 2. 2:—*prâṇo vai grahaḥ*; so 'pânena atigraheṇa gṛihîto; 'pânena hi gandham jighrati. Everyone sees that the context requires the meaning faculty of smell and smell, and Böhtlingk need not have reproached me on the supposition that I failed to see it. He might have assumed that I had other reasons for my inability to accept his suggestion of a simple correction here in the desired sense.

c11.s2.t4.7.2

My reason was, that there existed here something in the background which exercised possibly a stronger attraction on the author or redactor of the passage than analogy or consistency, viz.—the wish to join prâṇa and apâna together here also as *graha* and *atigraha* in accordance with their usual association. *Apâna* therefore, inspiration as the vehicle of smell, represented the latter, and the explanatory addition (*apânena hi gandham* jighrati) was employed in order to justify the connnection, not as before and usually between graha and atigraha, but between atigraha and the object which it represented. That apâna being inspiration, prâna by its side (in its general meaning of "breath") could not at the same time denote the sense of smell, as so often elsewhere, would therefore be overlooked. That the original author of the paragraph caused this confusion, I find myself unable to believe; but the mistake, if we must so call it, is older than the separation of the Kânvas and Mâdhyandinas, and therefore not much less than three thousand years old,¹ and certainly would not have maintained its ground all this time if apâna had not already at that period denoted the faculty of smell, and therefore inspiration. The same conclusion follows from the symbolical treatment in Br̥ih. 6. 4. 10–11, where the direction is given, if unfruitfulness is desired, abhiprânya apânyât, if fruitfulness, apânya abhiprânyât.

c11.s2.t4.7.3

The suppression of the vital power is symbolised by inspiration, its excitation by exspiration. Since however the emphasis lies not on the gerund but on the finite verb, apânyât signifies already in this passage "he inspires," abhiprânyât, "he exspires."² It is doubtful whether in Kâṭh. 5. 3 ûrddhvam prâṇam unnayati, apânam pratyag asyati, exspiration and inspiration are to be understood as suggested by 5. 5, or not rather already as breath and the wind of digestion. In contrast, that is to say, to the accepted idea of prâna as exspiration, apâna as inspiration, a disposition was formed, and grew stronger as time went on, to see in prâna the breath (exspiration and inspiration), and in apâna the wind of digestion dwelling in the bowels. For this view the following passages are cited. The prâna originates from the nose, the apâna from the navel of the primeval man;¹ Vâyu corresponds to the prâna, Mrityu to the apâna;² the prâna smells the food, the apâna overmasters it.³ So possibly in the passage quoted, Kâth. 5. 3. In Pras'na 3. 5, the prâna has its seat in eye, ear, mouth and nose, the apâna presides over the organs of evacuation and generation.⁴ The prâna makes its exit upwards, the apâna downwards, and carries off the excrements.⁵ The apâna serves for evacuation.⁶ The prâna dwells in the heart, the apâna in the bowels.⁷ The apâna is neighbour to the testicles.⁸ This is the view adopted also by Vedântasâra 94-95, and the commentary on Chând. 3. 13.

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3 and S'ankara's judgement on 1. 3. 3 maintains the same.