Katha:2.2.5
Mantra 2.2.5
Original Text:
न प्राणेन नापानेन मर्त्यो जीवति कश्चन । इतरेण तु जीवन्ति यस्मिन्नेतावुपाश्रितौ ॥ ५ ॥
na prāṇena nāpānena martyo jīvati kaścana | itareṇa tu jīvanti yasminnetāvupāśritau || 5 ||
| Sanskrit Term | Transliteration | Hindi Meaning | English Word or Meaning | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| न | na | नहीं – अभाव या निषेध का बोध कराने वाला | not – negation, absence | |
| प्राणेन | prāṇena | प्राण से – जीवनशक्ति या श्वास का साधन | by prāṇa – vital force, life-breath | |
| न | na | नहीं – अभाव या निषेध का बोध कराने वाला | not – negation, absence | |
| अपानेन | apānena | अपान से – निचली ओर जाने वाली वायु | by apāna – downward-moving vital air | |
| मर्त्यः | martyaḥ | नश्वर जीव – मृत्यु को प्राप्त होने वाला प्राणी | mortal – perishable being | |
| जीवति | jīvati | जीवित रहता है – जीवन धारण करता है | lives – sustains life | |
| कश्चन | kaścana | कोई भी – कोई एक भी व्यक्ति | anyone – any person | |
| इतरेण | itareṇa | अन्य से – किसी अन्य के द्वारा | by another – by something else | |
| तु | tu | परंतु – लेकिन, विरोधाभास सूचक | but – however | |
| जीवन्ति | jīvanti | जीवित रहते हैं – जीवन धारण करते हैं | live – are alive | |
| यस्मिन् | yasmin | जिसमें – जिस पर निर्भर करते हैं | in which – upon whom | |
| एतौ | etau | ये दोनों – ये दो (प्राण और अपान) | these two – prāṇa and apāna | |
| उपाश्रितौ | upāśritau | आश्रित हैं – निर्भर हैं | are dependent – take refuge in |
Translation/Explanation
Hindi: न तो प्राण से, न ही अपान से कोई भी नश्वर जीव जीवित रहता है; बल्कि किसी अन्य के द्वारा, जिस पर ये दोनों (प्राण और अपान) आश्रित हैं, लोग जीवित रहते हैं।
English: Not by prāṇa, not by apāna, does any mortal live; but it is by some other, upon whom these two (prāṇa and apāna) are dependent, that beings live.
Commentary
This mantra negates the idea that life is sustained solely by prāṇa and apāna, the vital airs. It asserts that mortals do not live by prāṇa or apāna alone. Rather, it is by some other principle—distinct from and superior to these vital forces—upon which prāṇa and apāna themselves depend, that life is truly sustained. This "other" is the ātman, the true Self, which is the substratum for all the vital functions. Just as a house, though composed of various parts, exists for the sake of someone other than those parts, so too the body and its vital functions exist for the benefit of the ātman. Thus, the existence and functioning of prāṇa and apāna are subordinate to and dependent upon the ātman, which is the real source of life.
Concept List
prāṇa
apāna
mortality
ātman
dependency of vital forces
life principle
body-soul distinction