हिन्दी
Om. He who knows the oldest and the best himself becomes the oldest and the best. It is prāṇa which is the oldest and the best.
He who knows that which is of high standing himself becomes of high standing among his own relatives. Eloquence i.e., speech, gives one this high standing (in society).
He who knows the support attains a support in this world and also in the other world. The eye is indeed the support.
He who knows affluence has all things desired by human beings and gods come to him. Affluence is represented by the ears.
He who knows the abode becomes the shelter of his family. The mind is the abode.
Once the sense organs began to quarrel among themselves, each one claiming it was supreme. They each said, ‘I am the best. I am the best’.
The organs then went to their father Prajāpati and said, ‘Revered sir, who among us is the best?’ He replied, ‘He is the best among you on whose departure the body becomes totally untouchable’.
First speech left the body. After staying away one whole year, he came back and asked the other organs, ‘How did you sustain yourselves in my absence?’ The rest of the organs said: ‘Just as mute people do without speaking, but they are able to survive by breathing, and see with the eyes, hear with the ears, and think with the mind. We did the same.’ Hearing all this, speech re-entered the body.
Next the organ of vision left the body. After staying away one whole year, it came back and asked the other organs, ‘How did you sustain yourselves in my absence?’ The rest of the organs said: ‘Just as blind people do without seeing, but they are able to survive by breathing, and speak with the organ of speech, hear with the ears, and think with the mind. We did the same.’ Hearing all this, the organ of vision re-entered the. body.
Next the organ of hearing left the body. After staying away one whole year, it came back and asked the other organs, ‘How did you sustain yourselves in my absence?’ The rest of the organs said: ‘Just as deaf people do without hearing, but they are able to survive by breathing, and speak with the organ of speech, see with the eyes, and think with the mind. We did the same.’ Hearing all this, the organ of hearing re-entered the body.
Next the mind left the body. After staying away one whole year, he came back and asked the other organs, ‘How did you sustain yourselves in my absence?’ The rest of the organs said: ‘Just as children do without thinking for themselves, but they are able to survive by breathing, and speak with the organ of speech, see with the eyes, and hear with the ears. We did the same.’ Hearing all this, the mind re-entered the body.
Now prāṇa, the vital force, decided to leave. Just as a good horse is able to uproot the pegs to which its feet are tied, similarly, the chief prāṇa was about to carry the other organs away with him. Those other organs then came to him and with great humility said: ‘O lord, be our leader. You are the greatest among us. Please don’t leave us’.
The organ of speech then said to the chief prāṇa, ‘If I have the quality of high standing, it is because you have that quality.’ Next the organ of vision said to him, ‘True, I have the quality of supporting others, but I owe that quality to you’.
The organ of hearing then said to the chief prāṇa, ‘If I have the quality of affluence, it is because you have that quality.’ Next the mind said to him, ‘True, I have the quality of being a shelter to many, but that quality is, in fact, yours’.
Scholars do not call them organs of speech, eyes, ears, or minds. They call them ‘prāṇas,’ for prāṇa has become all these organs.
