sā ha vāg uvāca -- yad vā ahaṃ vasiṣṭhāsmi tvaṃ tad vasiṣṭho 'sīti | yad vā ahaṃ pratiṣṭhāsmi tvaṃ tat pratiṣṭho 'sīti cakṣuḥ | yad vā ahaṃ saṃpad asmi tvaṃ tat saṃpad asīti śrotram | yad vā aham āyatanam asmi tvaṃ tad āyatanam asīti manaḥ | yad vā ahaṃ prajātir asmi tvaṃ tat prajātir asīti retaḥ | tasyo me kim annaṃ kiṃ vāsa iti | yad idaṃ kiñcā śvabhya ā kṛmibhya ā kīṭapataṅgebhyas tat te 'nnam | āpo vāsa iti | na ha vā asyānannaṃ jagdhaṃ bhavati nānannaṃ pratigṛhītaṃ ya evam etad anasyānnaṃ veda | tad vidvāṃsaḥ śrotriyā aśiṣyanta ācāmanty aśitvācāmanti | etam eva tad annam anagnaṃ kurvanto manyante ||

sā ha vākprathamaṃ balidānāya pravṛttā ha kilovācoktavatī yadvā ahaṃ vasiṣṭhāsmi yanmama vasiṣṭhatvaṃ tattavaiva tena vasiṣṭhaguṇena tvaṃ tadvasiṣṭho 'sīti | yadvā ahaṃ pratiṣṭhāsmi tvaṃ tatpratiṣṭho 'si yā mama pratiṣṭhā sā tvamasīti | cakṣuḥ | samānamanyat | sampadāyatanaprajātitvagiṇānkrameṇa samarpitavantaḥ | yadyevaṃ sādhu baliṃ dattavanto bhavanto brūta tasya u ma evaṅguṇaviśiṣṭasya kimannaṃ kiṃ vāsa iti | āhuritare-yadidaṃ loke kiñca kiñcidannaṃ nāmāpyā śvabhya ā kṛmibhya ā kīṭapataṅgebhyaḥ | yacca śvānnaṃ kṛbhyannaṃ kīṭapataṅgānnaṃ ca tena saha sarvameva yatkiñcitprāṇibhiradyamānamannaṃ tatsarvaṃ tavānnaṃ sarvaṃ prāṇasyānnamiti dṛṣṭiratra vidhīyate | kecitu sarvabhakṣaṇe doṣābhāvaṃ vadanti prāṇānnavidaḥ | tadasat | śāsrāntareṇa pratiṣiddhatvāt | tenāsya vikalpa iti cet | na | avidhāyakatvāt | na ha vā asyānannaṃ jagdhaṃ bhavatīti sarvaṃ prāṇasyānnamityetasya vijñānasya vihitasya stutyarthametat | tenaikavākyatāpatteḥ | na tu śāsrāntaravihitasya bādhane sāmarthyamanyaparatvādasya | prāṇamātrasya sarvamannamityetaddarśanamihi vidhitsitaṃ na tu sarvaṃ bhakṣayediti | yattu sarvabhakṣaṇe doṣābhāvajñānaṃ sanmithyaiva pramāṇābhāvāt | viduṣaḥ prāṇatvātsarvānnopapatteḥ sāmarthyādadoṣa eveti cet | na | aśeṣānnatvānupapatteḥ | satyaṃ yadyapi vidvānprāṇo yena kāryatakaraṇasaṃghātena viśiṣṭasya vidvattā tena kāryakaraṇasaṃghātena kṛmikīṭadevādyaśeṣānnabhakṣaṇaṃ nopapadyate | tena tatrāśeṣānnabhakṣaṇe doṣābhāvajñāpanamanarthakam | aprāptatvādaśeṣānnabhakṣaṇadoṣasya | nanu prāṇaḥ sanbhakṣayatyeva kṛmikīṭādyannamapi | bāḍham | kintu na tadviṣayaḥ pratiṣedho 'sti | tasmāddaivaraktaṃ kiṃśukaṃ tatra doṣābhāvaḥ | atastadrūpeṇa doṣābhāvajñāpanamanarthakam | aprāptatvādaśeṣānnabhakṣaṇadeṣasya | yena tu kāryakaraṇasaṃghātasambandhena pratiṣedhaḥ kriyate tatsambandhena tviha naiva pratiprasavo 'sti | tasmāttatpratiṣedhātikrame doṣa eva syādanyaviṣayatvānna ha vā ityādeḥ | na ca brāhmaṇādiśarīrasya sarvānnatvadarśanamiha vidhīyate kintu prāṇamātrasyaiva | yathā ca sāmānyena sarvānnasya prāṇasya kiñcidannajātaṃ kasyacijjīvanahetuḥ | yathā viṣaṃ viṣajasya krimestadevānyasya prāṇānnamapi saddṛṣṭameva doṣamutpādayati maraṇādilakṣaṇam | tathā sarvānnasyāpi prāṇasya pratiṣiddhānnabhakṣaṇe brāhmaṇatvādidehasaṃbandhāddoṣa eva syāt | tasmānmithyājñānamevābhakṣyabhakṣaṇe doṣābhāvajñānam | āpo vāsa ityāpo bhakṣamāṇā vāsaḥsthānīyāstava | atra ca prāṇasyā'po vāsa ityetaddarśanaṃ vidhīyate | na tu vāsaḥkārye āpo viniyoktuṃ śakyāḥ | tasmādyathāprāpte 'bbhakṣaṇe darśanamātraṃ kartavyam | na ha vā asya sarvaṃ prāṇasyānnamityevaṃvido 'nannamanadanīyaṃ jagdhaṃ bhuktaṃ na bhavati ha | yadyapyanenānadanīyaṃ bhuktamadanīyameva bhuktaṃ syānna tu tatkṛtadoṣeṇa lipyata ityetadvidyāstutirityavocāma | tathā nānannaṃ pratigṛhītaṃ yadyapyapratighrāhyaṃ hastyādi pratigṛhītaṃ syāttadapyannameva pratigrāhyaṃ syāttatrāpyapratigrāhyapratigrahadoṣeṇa na lipyata iti stutyarthameva ya evametadanasya prāṇasyānnaṃ veda | phalaṃ tu prāṇātmabhāva eva na tvetatphalābhiprāyeṇa kiṃ tarhi stutyabhiprāyeṇeti | nanvetadeva phalaṃ kasmānna bhavati | na prāṇātmadarśinaḥ prāṇātmabhāva eva phalam | tatra ca prāṇātmabhūtasya sarvātmano 'nadanīyamapyādyameva | tathāpratigrāhyamapi pratigrāhyameveti yathāprāptamevopādāya vidyā stūyate | ato naiva phalavidhisarūpatā vākyasya | yasmādāpo vāsaḥ prāṇasya tasmādvidvāṃso brāhmaṇāḥ śrotriyā adhītavedā aśiṣyanto bhokṣyamāṇā ācāmantyapo 'śitvā'cāmanti bhuktyā cottarakālamapo bhakṣayanti | tatra teṣāmācāmatāṃ ko 'bhiprāya ityāha-etamevānaṃ prāṇamanagnaṃ kurvanto manyante | asti caitadyoyasmai vāso dadāti sa tamanagnaṃ karomīti hi manyate | prāṇasya cā'po vāsa iti hyuktam | yadapaḥ pibāmi tatprāṇasya vāso dadāmīti vijñānaṃ kartavyamityevamarthametat | nanu bhokṣyamāṇo bhuktavāṃśca prayato bhaviṣyāmītyācāmati | tatra ca prāṇasyānagnatākaraṇārthatve ca dvikāryatā'camanasya syāt | na ca kāryadvayamācamanasyaikasya yuktam | yadi prāyatyārthaṃ nānagnatārthamathānagnatārthaṃ na prāyatyārtham | yasmādevaṃ tasmāddvitīyamācamanāntaraṃ prāṇasyānagnatākaraṇāya bhavatu | na | kriyādvitvopapatteḥ | dve hyete kriye bhotryamāṇasya bhuktavataśca yadācamanaṃ smṛtivihitaṃ tatprāyatyārthaṃ bhavati | kriyāmātrameva na tu tatra prāyatyaṃ darśanādyapekṣate |
tatra cā'camanāṅgabhūtāsvapsu vāsovijñānaṃ prāṇasyetikartavyatayā codyate na tu tasminkriyamāṇa ācamanasya prāyatyarthatā vādhyate kriyāntaratvādācamanasya |
tasmādbhokṣyamāṇasya bhuktavataśca yadācamanaṃ tatrā |
āpo vāsaḥ prāṇasyeti darśanamātraṃ vidhīyate |
aprāptatvādanyataḥ || 14 ||
iti bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadi ṣaṣṭhādhyāyasya prathamaṃ brāhmaṇam || 1 ||