Shloka 5
Pañcahotṛ-Vidhāna and the Dispute of the Five Vāyus (पञ्चहोतृविधानम् — पञ्चवायूनां श्रेष्ठत्वविवादः)
व्यानेन सम्भृतो वायुस्ततोदान: प्रवर्तते । उदाने सम्भूतो वायु: समानो नाम जायते
vyānena sambhṛto vāyus tatodānaḥ pravartate | udāne sambhūto vāyuḥ samāno nāma jāyate |
Le brāhmane dit : «Soutenu par vyāna, le vent vital agit alors comme udāna ; et soutenu par udāna, ce même vent vital naît comme ce qu’on appelle samāna. Ainsi, nourris et soutenus l’un après l’autre, les souffles assument leurs fonctions propres. Un jour, ces cinq vents s’approchèrent de Brahmā, l’aïeul de tous les êtres, et dirent : “Seigneur bienheureux, déclare lequel d’entre nous est le श्रेष्ठ (le meilleur) ; que celui-là soit tenu pour notre chef.”»
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the five vital airs as interdependent functions of one life-force, each arising and operating through the support of another. Ethically, it sets up a reflection on true ‘superiority’: rather than mere status, primacy is to be understood in terms of sustaining the whole system and serving the common good.
A Brāhmaṇa explains to his beloved how the vital winds transform and function in sequence (vyāna → udāna → samāna, within the broader set of five). Then the five winds, seeking to know which is greatest, approach Brahmā and ask him to name the best among them so that one may be acknowledged as chief.