{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/sbe38/sbe38059.htm","path":"hin/sbe38/sbe38059.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe38/sbe38059.htm","text":"The Vedanta Sutras of Badarayana, Commentary by Sankara (SBE38), tr. by George Thibaut [1896]\n5. (The pr\u00e2nas are) seven, on account of this being understood (from scriptural passages) and of the specification (of those seven).\nSo far we have shown that there is in reality no conflict of scriptural passages regarding the origin of the pr\u00e2nas. It will now be shown that there is also no conflict regarding their number. The chief vital air (mukhya pr\u00e2na) will be discussed later on. For the present the S\u00fbtrak\u00e2ra the number of the other pr\u00e2nas. A doubt arises here owing to the conflicting nature of the scriptural passages. In one place seven pr\u00e2nas are mentioned, 'The seven pr\u00e2nas spring from him' (Mu. Up. II, 1, 8). In another place eight pr\u00e2nas are mentioned as being grahas, 'Eight grahas there are and eight atigrahas' (Bri. Up. III, 2, 1). In another place nine, 'Seven are the pr\u00e2nas of the head, two the lower ones' (Taitt. Samh. V, 3, 2, 5). Sometimes ten, 'Nine pr\u00e2nas indeed are in men, the navel is the tenth' (Taitt. Samh. V, 3, 2, 3). Sometimes eleven, 'Ten are these pr\u00e2nas in man, and \u00c2tman is the eleventh' (Bri. Up. III, 9, 4). Sometimes twelve, 'All touches have their centre in the skin,' &c. (Bri. Up. II, 4, 11). Sometimes thirteen, 'The eye and what can be seen,' &c. (Pr. Up. IV, 8).--Thus the scriptural passages disagree about the number of the pr\u00e2nas.\nHere the p\u00fbrvapakshintains that the pr\u00e2nas are in reality seven in number, on account of understanding, i.e. because they are understood to be so many, from passages such as 'The seven pr\u00e2nas spring from him,' &c. These seven pr\u00e2nas are moreover specified in the other passage quoted above, 'Seven indeed are the pr\u00e2nas of the head.'--But in the same passage we meet with the following reiteration, 'Resting in the cave they are placed there seven and seven,' which intimates that there are pr\u00e2nas in addition to the seven.--No matter, we reply; that reiteration is made with reference to the plurality of men, and means that each man has seven pr\u00e2nas; it does not mean that there are two sets of seven pr\u00e2nas each of different nature.--But, another objection will be raised, other scriptural passages speak of the pr\u00e2nas as eight in number; how then should they be seven?--True, we reply, the number of eight also is stated; but on account of the contradictory nature of the statements we have to decide in favour of either of the two numbers; hence we decide in favour of the number seven, in deference to the (simpler) assumption of a low number, and consider the statements of other numbers to refer to the difference of modifications (of the fundamental seven pr\u00e2nas).--To this argumentation the next S\u00fbtra replies:","title":"The Vedanta Sutras of Badarayana: Second Adhy\u00e2ya. Fourth P\u00e2da.: II, 4, 5","type":"page"}