Shloka 2
Pañcahotṛ-Vidhāna and the Dispute of the Five Vāyus (पञ्चहोतृविधानम् — पञ्चवायूनां श्रेष्ठत्वविवादः)
प्राणापानावुदानश्च॒ समानो व्यान एव च | पज्चहोतुस्तथैतान् वै परं भावं विदुर्बुधा:
prāṇāpānāv udānaś ca samāno vyāna eva ca | pañcahotṛs tathaitān vai paraṁ bhāvaṁ vidur budhāḥ ||
Брахман сказал: «Прана, апана, удана, самана и вьяна — эти пять жизненных течений мудрые знают как “пятерых хотри”, пяти жрецов жертвоприношения. Постигнув их высший смысл, человек узнаёт внутреннюю жертву: дисциплинированные дыхания становятся орудиями самообладания и духовного восхождения».
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the five principal vital airs (prāṇa, apāna, udāna, samāna, vyāna) can be understood as the ‘five hotṛ-priests’ of an inner sacrifice. The wise discern their highest meaning: spiritual practice is not only external ritual but also the disciplined harmonizing of life-forces toward a supreme state.
A brāhmaṇa speaker explains a doctrinal point using Vedic ritual language. He identifies the five vital breaths as ritual officiants, shifting attention from outer ceremony to an inward, ethical-spiritual interpretation where mastery of the prāṇas constitutes the true sacrificial act.