Shloka 42
Mokṣa-dharma Yoga-Upadeśa: Equanimity, Sense-Restraint, and Vision of the Ātman (आत्मदर्शन-योगोपदेशः)
कुतो वायं प्रश्नसिति उच्छवसित्यपि वा पुनः । कं च देशमधिष्ठाय तिष्ठत्यात्मायमात्मनि,“यह जीव कैसे साँस लेता, कैसे उच्छवास खींचता और किस स्थानमें रहकर इस शरीरमें सदा विद्यमान रहता है?
kuto vāyaṃ praśna iti ucchvasiti api vā punaḥ | kaṃ ca deśam adhiṣṭhāya tiṣṭhaty ātmāyam ātmani ||
Dari manakah makhluk ini menarik napas masuk, dan bagaimana pula ia menghembuskan napas keluar? Dan dengan bersemayam pada ‘tempat’ yang mana, sang ātman ini tetap hadir di dalam diri yang berjasad?
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a philosophical inquiry into the relation between the life-breath (inhalation and exhalation) and the abiding Self: breath is treated as a functional sign of life, while the question presses deeper—what is the underlying locus and principle by which the embodied being persists.
A Brahmin interlocutor poses probing questions about how a living being breathes and where the Self ‘resides’ within the body, setting up a reflective discussion on inner reality beyond mere physical processes.