The Philosophy of the Upanishads c9.s2.t8.2

c9.s2.t8.2

is the incarnation of the âtman in the human body and in material nature; the bodily organs are its constituent parts. (2) Within this is contained the prâṇamaya âtman, “the self dependent on the vital breath,” the âtman as the principle of natural life. Its constituent parts are the vital breaths in man (inhalation, inter-halation, exhalation), but also in a cosmical sense the whole of space is its body, the earth its foundation. By stripping off this âtman also as a sheath we reach (3) the manomaya âtman, “the âtman dependent on manas” (volition), whose constituent parts are stated to be the four Vedas with the Brâhmaṇas (âdeśa). According to this definition we are to understand by it the principle of the will (manas) embodied both in men and in gods, i.e. of purpose directed to selfish ends. For it is this that on the human side is expressed in the Vedic sacrificial ritual.