Shloka 2
नारद-देवमत-संवादः
Nārada–Devamata Dialogue on Prāṇa, Apāna, and Udāna
देवमत उवाच जन्तो: संजायमानस्य कि नु पूर्व प्रवर्तते । प्राणो5पान: समानो वा व्यानो वोदान एव च,देवमतने पूछा--देवर्षे! जब जीव जन्म लेता है, उस समय सबसे पहले उसके शरीरमें किसकी प्रवृत्ति होती है? प्राण, अपान, समान, व्यान अथवा उदानकी?
devamata uvāca
jantoḥ saṃjāyamānasya ki nu pūrvaṃ pravartate |
prāṇo 'pānaḥ samāno vā vyāno vodāna eva ca ||
قالت ديفاماتا: «أيها الرِّشي الإلهي، حين يُولَد كائنٌ حيّ، فأيُّ وظيفةٍ من وظائف النَّفَس الحيوي تبدأ أولًا في الجسد: برانا (prāṇa)، أم أبانا (apāna)، أم سمانا (samāna)، أم فيانا (vyāna)، أم أودانا (udāna)؟»
देवमत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a physiological-philosophical inquiry central to Yoga and Upaniṣadic thought: life in the embodied state is governed by distinct vital functions (the five vāyus). By asking which activates first at birth, the text invites reflection on the primacy and coordination of prāṇa as the organizing principle of embodied life.
Devamatā addresses a devarṣi with a pointed question about the moment of birth, seeking authoritative clarification on the sequence of activation among the five vital airs—prāṇa, apāna, samāna, vyāna, and udāna—setting up a subsequent doctrinal explanation.