Sūtra 1.1.31

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Sūtra 1.1.31:

जीव-मुख्य-प्राण-लिङ्गान् नेति चेन् नोपास्य-त्रैविध्याद् आश्रितत्वाद् इह तद्-योगात्

jīva-mukhya-prāṇa-liṅgān neti cen nopāsya-traividhyād āśritatvād iha tad-yogāt

jīva–of the individual conscious living entity; mukhya–the primary; prāṇa–living force; liṅgāt–the signs; na–not; iti–thus; cet–if; na–not; upāsya–worshipable; taividhyāt–because of being there; āśritatvāt–because of taking shelter; iha–here; tat-yogāt–because of appropriateness.

“If someone says the word prāṇa also refers to the individual conscious living entity and the primary living force in addition to referring to Brahman, then I reply that such an interpretation is not correct. If the word prāṇa referred to all three, then all three would be worshipable. This view is not correct, because neither logic nor the authority of scripture support it.” (31)

Sūtra pagination:
Adhyāya 1:
  The subject matter of all Vedic literatures is Brahman;
Pāda 1:
  Words which, taken by themselves, would not necessarily refer to Brahman, but in the Vedic context certainly refer to Brahman.;
Adhikaraṇa 11:
  Prāṇa refers to Brahman.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s commentary (Govinda-bhāṣya)

Someone may say that the natural features of the individual conscious living entity and the living force are such that they are proper objects of worship. To this I reply: This is not true. Why? For then there would be three objects of worship. When Indra says, “Worship me as prāṇa,” he uses only one sentence. The rules of rhetoric demand that a sentence have only one correct interpretation, and therefore if we say that the word prāṇa here refers to three different objects, we shall break that rule. This is the true meaning: There are three possible ways to interpret the meaning of prāṇa in this context:

1. Take all these passages, including what directly mentions Brahman, as referring to the individual conscious living entity and living force;
2. Take these passages as referring some to the individual conscious living entity and living force, and some to Brahman; and
3. Take these passages as all referring to Brahman. The first possibility has already been clearly refuted, The second possibility is not very acceptable, for it recommends that there are three distinct objects of worship.

Śrīla Vyāsadeva says the third possibility is actually logical because āśritatvāt [this view is supported by the statements of Vedic literature]. We may see that many passages in Vedic literature that seem to refer to the individual conscious living entity or the living force, in fact refer to Brahman.

For example, in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [5.1.15] it is said,

न वै वाचो न चक्षूंषि न श्रोत्राणि न मनांसीत्य् आचक्षते प्राण इति एवाचक्षते प्राणो ह्य् एवैतानि सर्वाणि भवन्ति

na vai vāco na cakṣūṃṣi na śrotrāṇi na manāṃsīty ācakṣate prāṇa iti evācakṣate prāṇo hy evaitāni sarvāṇi bhavanti

“In the body of a living being neither the power to speak, nor the power to see, nor the power to hear, nor the power to think is the prime factor; it is life which is the center of all activities.”

If at this point someone were to object: “Is it not true that in this passage the natural sense of the words supports the interpretations of the individual conscious living entity and the living force?” I would reply by saying: In this passage the worship of prāṇa is described as the most beneficial activity for the living entities. For this reason the interpretation of the Supreme Brahman is logical. For this reason Śrīla Vyāsadeva states in the sūtra, tad-yogāt [because this is logical].

Someone may then object: “Is it not true that the scriptures explain that the prāṇa and prajñā both reside within the body of the individual conscious living entity, and also leave that body together at the time of death? How is this possible if you say that prāṇa means Brahman?”

To this objection I reply: Brahman is present in the body of the individual conscious living entity in two ways: as kriyā-śakti [the potency of action], which is also known as prāṇa, and as jñāna-śakti [the potency of knowledge], which is also known as prajñā. Both are manifested from Brahman. These two potencies remain within the body of the individual conscious living entity, and also leave it together at the time of death.

Another objection may be raised in the following words: “Is it not true that prāṇa and the other words you claim are names of the Supreme Brahman are all actually adjectives, and therefore cannot function as names?”

To this objection I reply: This not true. These words are simultaneously adjectives and nouns. When Indra says prāṇo ‘smi prajñātmā [I am prāṇa, prajñā, and ātmā], he uses these words as nouns. For these reasons prāṇa, prajñā, and other words used by Indra should be understood to refer to Brahman.

At this point a further objection may be raised: “Is it not true that in the beginning you adequately demonstrated that the word prāṇa refers to Brahman? Most of your arguments are redundant.”

To this objection I reply: This is not true. In the beginning I dispelled the doubts that may have arisen in regard to the single word prāṇa taken by itself. After that I discussed the word prāṇa in relation to a specific quotation, where it was related with other words, such as ānanda, and in this discussion I demonstrated that the word prāṇa was used there in such a way that it could only be understood to mean Brahman, and not the individual conscious living entity, or anything else. For this reason I have discussed this specific passage of Kauṣītakī Upaniṣad separately.

Thus ends the First Pāda of the First Adhyāya of Vedānta-sūtra. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!