If the father recovers, let him be under the authority of his son, or let him wander about (as an ascetic). But if he departs, then let them despatch him, as he ought to be despatched, yea, as he ought to be despatched .

Footnotes

^280:1 In the first chapter it was said, 'He approaches the couch Amitaugas, that is prana, breath, spirit, life. Therefore having explained in the first adhyaya the knowledge of the couch (of Brahman), the next subject to be explained is the knowledge of prana, the living spirit, taken for a time as Brahman, or the last cause of everything.'

^281:1 I translate vakparastat, kakshuhparastat, manahparastat as compounds, and read srotraparastat. The commentator requires this. He says that speech is uncertain, and has to be checked by the eye. The eye is uncertain, taking mother of pearl for silver, and must be checked by the ear. The ear is uncertain, and must be checked by the mind, for unless the mind is attentive, the ear hears not. The mind, lastly, depends on the spirit, for without spirit there is no mind. The commentator is right in reading rundhe or runddhe instead of rundhate.

^281:2 The vital spirits are called the highest treasure, because a man surrenders everything to preserve his vital spirits or his life.

^281:3 Cf. Brih. Ar. VI, 3, 1.

^282:1 As dear as prana or life.

^282:2 The commentator explains these mysterious utterances by: I offer, I throw, in the fire, which is lit by the fuel of thy indifference or dislike, in myself, being the object of thy love, speech, the organ of speech, of thee, who art going to love me. This one, i. e. I myself, or my love, may prosper. Svaha, my speech, may grant approval to the oblation of me, the lover.'

^283:1 Uktha, a Vedic hymn, has been identified with prana, breath, in the Kanva, and other Sakhas (Brih. Ar. V, 13, 1; Ait. Ar. II, 1, 2). Here uktha, i. e. the prana of the uktha, is further identified with Brahman. As uktha (the hymn) is prana, and as the sacrifice is performed with hymns, the sacrifice, too, is uktha, and therefore prana, and therefore Brahman. Comm.

^284:1 The verbs ark, yug, and sannam are not used idiomatically, but with reference to the words rik, yagus, and saman.