Brahma Sutras (Shankara Bhashya)
by Swami Vireshwarananda | 1936 | 124,571 words | ISBN-10: 8175050063
This is the English translation of the Brahma-sutras including the commentary (Bhashya) of Shankara. The Brahma-sutra (or, Vedanta-sutra) is one of the three canonical texts of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy and represents an early exposition the Vedantic interpretation of the Upanishads. This edition has the original Sanskrit text, the r...
Chapter I, Section I, Adhikarana IX
Adhikarana summary: The word Prana to be understood as Brahman
Brahma-Sutra 1.1.23: Sanskrit text and English translation.
啶呧い 啶忇さ 啶啶班ぞ啶｀ 啷� 啷ㄠォ 啷�
ata eva pr膩峁嘺岣� || 23 ||
ata eva鈥擣or the same reason; 辫谤补峁嘺岣�鈥�(the word) Prana (refers to Brahman).
23. For the same reason (the word) 鈥楶rana鈥� (also refers to Brahman).
鈥溾�榃hich is that deity?鈥� 鈥楶rana,鈥� he said. For all these beings merge in Prana alone and from Prana they arise鈥� (Chh. 1. 11. 4-5).
The question is whether Prastava (a division of Saman) is a symbol of the vital force or Brahman. Here Prana doe艣 not mean the vital force but Brahman, in which sense it is used in texts like, 鈥淭he Prana of Prana鈥� (Brih. 4. 4. 18). Why? Because the characteristic of Brahman, 鈥淎ll these beings merge in Prana,鈥� etc. is mentioned. All the Jivas merge in Prana, and that is possible only if 鈥楶rana鈥� is Brahman and not the vital force (the ordinary sense of the word), in which only the senses get merged in deep sleep.