अथ ह प्राण उच्चिक्रमिषन्स यथा सुहयः पड्वीशशङ्कून्संखिदेदेवमितरान्प्राणान्समखिदत्तं हाभिसमेत्योचुर्भगवन्नेधि त्वं नः श्रेष्ठोऽसि मोत्क्रमीरिति ॥ ५.१.१२ ॥
atha ha prāṇa uccikramiṣansa yathā suhayaḥ paḍvīśaśaṅkūnsaṃkhidedevamitarānprāṇānsamakhidattaṃ hābhisametyocurbhagavannedhi tvaṃ naḥ śreṣṭho’si motkramīriti || 5.1.12 ||
12. Now prāṇa, the vital force, decided to leave. Just as a good horse is able to uproot the pegs to which its feet are tied, similarly, the chief prāṇa was about to carry the other organs away with him. Those other organs then came to him and with great humility said: ‘O lord, be our leader. You are the greatest among us. Please don’t leave us’.
Word-for-word explanation:
Atha ha saḥ prāṇaḥ, now that prāṇa, the vital force; uccikramiṣan, wishing to go out; yathā, just as; suhayaḥ, a good horse; paḍvīśa-śaṅkūn, the pegs to which his feet are tied; saṃkhidet, uproots; evam, in the same way; itarān prāṇān, the other organs; samakhidat, began to leave with him; tam abhisametya, coming to him [with great humility]; ucuḥ ha, land] said; bhagavan, lord; edhi, be our leader; naḥ tvam śreṣṭhaḥ asi, you are the best among us; mā utkramīḥ iti, please do not leave us.
Commentary:
The organs, beginning with vāk (speech), left the body one after another. But that made little or no difference to the body or to the rest of the organs. Then prāṇa decided to leave. Just as he started to go, all the other organs felt that they were being forced to leave also. They realized then that they were not free; they were utterly dependent on the chief prāṇa. Coming to him, they showed him respect and said that they now recognized his superiority.