II-4 Śrī Bhāshya | Rāmānuja | 6-7

This prāṇa also is minute, since as before (i.e. as in the case of the organs) the text declares it to pass out of the body, to move, and so on, 'him when he passes out the prāṇa follows after' (Bri. Up. V, 4, 2). A further doubt arises, in the case of prāṇa, owing to the fact that in other texts it is spoken of as of large extent, 'It is equal to these three worlds, equal to this Universe' (Bri. Up. I, 3, 22); 'On prāṇa everything is founded'; 'For all this is shut up in prāṇa.' But as the texts declaring the passing out, and so on, of the prāṇa, prove it to be of limited size, the all-embracingness ascribed to prāṇa in those other texts must be interpreted to mean only that the life of all living and breathing creatures depends on breath.--Here terminates the Adhikaraṇa of 'the minuteness of the best.'

It has been shown that the prāṇas, together with the main prāṇa, originate from Brahman, and have a limited size. That the prāṇas are guided by Agni and other divine beings has also been explained on a previous occasion, viz. under Sū. II, 1, 5. And it is known from ordinary experience that the organs are ruled by the individual soul, which uses them as means of experience and fruition. And this is also established by scriptural texts, such as 'Having taken these prāṇas he (i.e. the soul) moves about in his own body, according to his pleasure'(Bri. Up. II, 1, 18). The question now arises whether the rule of the soul and of the presiding divine beings over the prāṇas depends on them (i.e. the soul and the divinities) only, or on some other being.--On them only, since they depend on no one else!--Not so, the Sūtra declares. The rule which light, and so on, i.e. Agni and the other divinities, together with him to whom the prāṇas belong i.e. the soul, exercise over the prāṇas, proceeds from the thinking of that, i.e. from the will of the highest Self.--How is this known?--'From scriptural statement.' For Scripture teaches that the organs, together with their guiding divinities and the individual soul, depend in all their doings on the thought of the highest Person. 'He, who abiding within Fire, rules Fire from within.--He, who abiding within the air--within the Self--within the eye, and so on' (Bri. Up III, 7); 'From fear of it the wind blows, from fear of it the sun rises, from fear of it Agni and Indra, yea Death runs as the fifth' (Taitt. Up. II, 8, 1); 'By the command of that Imperishable one, sun and moon stand, held apart'(Bri Up III, 8, 9).

As the quality, inhering in all things, of being ruled by the highest Self, is eternal and definitely fixed by being connected with his essential nature, it is an unavoidable conclusion that the rule of the soul and of the divinities over the organs depends on the will of the highest Self. The text, 'Having sent forth this he entered into it, having entered into it he became sat and tyad' (Taitt. Up. II, 6), shows that the entering on the part of the highest Person into all things, so as to be their ruler, is connected with his essential nature. Similarly Smriti says, 'Pervading this entire Universe by a portion of mine I do abide' (Bha. Gī. X, 42).

--Here terminates the Adhikaraṇa of 'the rule of Fire and the rest.'