Verse 2.273

Sanskrit text and transliteration:

स वै पुरुषविधो ह्युक्तो योऽयं प्राणमयः स्मृतः ।
अमूर्तत्वात्कुतोऽन्वेतद्धेतुस्तस्येति भण्यते ॥ २७३ ॥

sa vai puruṣavidho hyukto yo'yaṃ prāṇamayaḥ smṛtaḥ |
amūrtatvātkuto'nvetaddhetustasyeti bhaṇyate || 273 ||

English translation of verse 2.273:

This sheath of vital force that is spoken of is, indeed, said to be truly of a human form. How is this possible since it is incorporeal? The reason for this is given in the text beginning with tasya.

Notes:

This verse explains the meaning of the text, “This self, verily, is certainly of a human form,” (ya vā eṣa puruṣavidha eva).

The sheath of vital force which is within the sheath of food is also said to be of a human form, possessing a head and other organs. Since the prāṇamaya-kośa is incorporeal (amūrta), how is it possible, it may be argued, to speak of it as having a human shape (puruṣavidha)? The answer to this objection is stated by the śruti itself in the text: "Its human form takes after the human form of that (annamaya-kośa)” (tasya puruṣavidhatām, anvayam puruṣavidhaḥ). The self constituted by the essence of food is well-known to have a human shape. Just as an image cast in a mould takes on the shape of the mould, so also the prāṇamaya-kośa is moulded as it were after the human form of the annamaya-kośa.