Shloka 17
Abhaya-Itihāsa: Karma, Indriyas, and the Non-sensory Brahman
Brāhmaṇī–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda
प्राणानामायतत्वेन तमुदान प्रचक्षते । तस्मात् तपो व्यवस्यन्ति मद्गतं ब्रह्म॒वादिन:
prāṇānām āyatatvena tam udāna pracakṣate | tasmāt tapo vyavasyanti madgataṁ brahmavādinaḥ ||
Vāyu dit : «Parce qu’il est le support qui soutient les souffles vitaux, les sages nomment ce principe “Udāna”. C’est pourquoi les connaisseurs du Veda arrêtent leur résolution d’austérité comme une pratique fondée en moi — tournée vers moi et établie dans ma présence.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Udāna is identified as the sustaining basis connected with the vital breaths, and true austerity (tapas) is presented as a disciplined resolve grounded in Vāyu’s principle—linking spiritual practice with mastery and understanding of prāṇa.
Vāyudeva is speaking doctrinally, explaining a subtle physiological-spiritual concept: why the wise name a particular vital function ‘Udāna’ and how Veda-knowers, on that basis, commit themselves to tapas as a practice established in Vāyu.