Vāc–Manas Saṃvāda: Prāṇa-Apāna and the Primacy Debate (वाक्–मनस् संवादः)
श्रोत्रं त्वक् चक्षुषी जिह्नवा नासिका चरणौ करौ । उपस्थ॑ वायुरिति वा होतृणि दश भामिनि,भामिनि! कान, त्वचा, नेत्र, जिह्ला (वाक् और रसना), नासिका, हाथ, पैर, उपस्थ और गुदा--से दस होता हैं
śrotraṃ tvak cakṣuṣī jihvā nāsikā caraṇau karau | upasthaḥ vāyur iti vā hotṝṇi daśa bhāmini bhāmini |
Sinabi ng Brahmin: “Ang pandinig, ang pagdama, ang paningin, ang dila, ang ilong, ang dalawang paa, ang dalawang kamay, at ang sangkap ng pag-aanak—ganyan ang sampung ‘hotṛ’ (mga tagapagganap), O marikit.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
The verse teaches that the senses and organs function like ‘priests’ conducting an inner ritual; because they drive perception and action, ethical life requires governing them through restraint and mindful discipline.
A Brahmin, speaking to a woman addressed as ‘bhāmini,’ enumerates the bodily faculties and organs and interprets them as ten ‘hotṛs,’ setting up a metaphorical explanation of inner sacrifice and the need for control over sensory activity.