{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/sbe38/sbe38067.htm","path":"hin/sbe38/sbe38067.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe38/sbe38067.htm","text":"The Vedanta Sutras of Badarayana, Commentary by Sankara (SBE38), tr. by George Thibaut [1896]\n13. And it is minute.\nAnd the chief vital air is to be considered as minute like the other pr\u00e2nas.--Here also we have to understand by minuteness that the chief vital air is subtle and of limited size, not that is of atomic size; for by means of its five functions it pervades the entire body. It must be viewed as subtle because when passing out of the body it is not perceived by a bystander, and as limited because scripture speaks of its passing out, going and coming.--But, it may be said, scripture speaks also of its all-pervadingness; so,\ne.g. 'He is equal to a grub, equal to a gnat, equal to an elephant, equal to these three worlds, equal to this Universe' (Bri. Up. I, 3, 22).--To this we reply that the all-pervadingness of which this text speaks belongs to the Self of the pr\u00e2na in its adhidaivata relation, according to which it appears as Hiranyagarbha in his double--universal and individual--form, not in its adhy\u00e2tma relation. Moreover the statements of equality 'equal to a grub,' &c., just declare the limited size of the pr\u00e2na which abides within every living being.--Thus there remains no difficulty.","title":"The Vedanta Sutras of Badarayana: Second Adhy\u00e2ya. Fourth P\u00e2da.: II, 4, 13","type":"page"}