Shloka 2
नारद-देवमत-संवादः
Nārada–Devamata Dialogue on Prāṇa, Apāna, and Udāna
देवमत उवाच जन्तो: संजायमानस्य कि नु पूर्व प्रवर्तते । प्राणो5पान: समानो वा व्यानो वोदान एव च
devamata uvāca
jantoḥ saṃjāyamānasya ki nu pūrvaṃ pravartate |
prāṇo 'pānaḥ samāno vā vyāno vodāna eva ca ||
提婆摩多问道：“噢，天界圣仙啊，当众生方才出生之时，身体之中最先开始运作的是哪一种生命机能——普拉那（prāṇa）、阿帕那（apāna）、萨玛那（samāna）、毗耶那（vyāna），还是乌达那（udāna）？”
देवमत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a physiological-philosophical inquiry central to Yoga and Upaniṣadic thought: life in the embodied state is governed by distinct vital functions (the five vāyus). By asking which activates first at birth, the text invites reflection on the primacy and coordination of prāṇa as the organizing principle of embodied life.
Devamatā addresses a devarṣi with a pointed question about the moment of birth, seeking authoritative clarification on the sequence of activation among the five vital airs—prāṇa, apāna, samāna, vyāna, and udāna—setting up a subsequent doctrinal explanation.