Brahma-Sūtra 2.4.10

English of translation of Brahmasutra 2.4.10 by Roma Bose:

“But like the eyes and the best, (the vital-breath is an instrument of the soul), because of being an object to be taught together with them and so on.”

Nimbārka’s commentary (Vedānta-pārijāta-saurabha):

Though the best, the vital-breath is but a special instrument of the individual soul, “like the eyes and the rest”. Why? “On account of being an object to be taught and so on,” i.e. on account of the teaching of the vital-breath together with the eyes and the rest in the dialogue among the sense-organs and so on.

The author shows that the vital-breath, being under the control of the individual soul, is serviceable to the soul like the eyes and the rest.

Śrīnivāsa’s commentary (Vedānta-kaustubha)

The meaning of the term “but” is that in spite of its superiority to the sense-organs, no independence is possible on the part of the vital-breath, as is possible on the part of the individual soul. The vital-breath is “like the eyes and the rest”. That is, just as the eyes and the rest are instruments of the individual soul, so the vital-breath is a special instrument of the individual soul. To the question: Whence is it known that it is an instrument of the soul?—We reply: “Because of being an object to be taught together with them”, i.e. because of the teaching of the vital-breath together with them, i.e. together with the eyes and the rest, in the dialogue among the sense-organs. By the phrase: “and so on”, reasons like non-sentience, incapability of self-dependence and the rest are implied.