Atharva Veda 11.4

prāṇāya namo yasya sarvam idaṃ vaśe yo bhūtaḥ sarvasyeśvaro yasmint sarvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam

Extolling the breath (prāṇá)

Homage to breath (prāṇá) in whose control is this All, who hath been lord of all, in whom all stands firm.

namas te prāṇa krandāya namas te stanayitnave namas te prāṇa vidyute namas te prāṇa varṣate

Homage, O breath, to thy roaring, homage to thy thunder; homage, O breath, to thy lightning, homage to thee raining, O breath.

yat prāṇa stanayitnunābhikrandaty oṣadhīḥ pravīyante garbhān dadhate 'tho bahvīr vijāyante

When breath with thunder roars at the herbs, they are impregnated (pra-vī), they receive embryos, then they are born many.

yat prāṇa ṛtāv āgate 'bhikrandaty oṣadhīḥ sarvaṃ tadā pramodate yat kiṃca bhūmyām adhi

When, the season having come, breath roars at the herbs, then all is delighted, whatever is upon the earth.

yadā prāṇo abhyavarṣīd varṣeṇa pṛthivīṃ mahīm paśavas tat pramodante maho vai no bhaviṣyati

When breath hath rained with rain upon the great earth, then the cattle are delighted: "verily there will be greatness for us."

abhivṛṣṭā oṣadhayaḥ prāṇena sam avādiran āyur vai naḥ prātītaraḥ sarvā naḥ surabhīr akaḥ

The herbs, being rained on, have talked with breath: "verily thou hast extended our life-time; thou hast made us all fragrant."

namas te astv āyate namo astu parāyate namas te prāṇa tiṣṭhata āsīnāyota te namaḥ

Homage be to thee coming, homage be to [thee] going away; homage to thee, O breath, standing; to thee sitting also [be] homage.

namas te prāṇa prāṇate namo astv apānate parācīnāya te namaḥ pratīcīnāya te namaḥ sarvasmai ta idaṃ namaḥ

Homage to thee breathing, O breath; homage be to [thee] making expiration; homage to thee turned away, homage to thee turned toward [us]; to the whole of thee [be] this homage.

yā te prāṇa priyā tanūr yo te prāṇa preyasī atho yad bheṣajaṃ tava tasya no dhehi jīvase

The dear body that is thine, O breath, and the dearer one that is thine, O breath, likewise what remedy is thine, assign thou of it to us in order to life (jīvás).

prāṇaḥ prajā anu vaste pitā putram iva priyam prāṇo ha sarvasyeśvaro yac ca prāṇati yac ca na

Breath clothes (anu-vas) human beings (prajā́), as a father a dear son; breath is lord of all, both what breathes and what does not.

prāṇo mṛtyuḥ prāṇas takmā prāṇaṃ devā upāsate prāṇo ha satyavādinam uttame loka ā dadhat

Breath [is] death, breath takmán; breath the gods worship (upa-ās); breath may set the truth-speaker in the highest world.

prāṇo virāṭ prāṇo deṣṭrī prāṇaṃ sarva upāsate prāṇo ha sūryaś candramāḥ prāṇam āhuḥ prajāpatim

Breath is virā́j, breath the directress; breath all worship; breath is the sun, the moon; breath they call Prajāpati.

prāṇāpānau vrīhiyavāv anaḍvān prāṇa ucyate yave ha prāṇa āhito 'pāno vrīhir ucyate

Breath-and-expiration are rice-and-barley; breath is called the draft-ox; breath is set in barley; expiration is called rice.

apānati prāṇati puruṣo garbhe antarā yadā tvaṃ prāṇa jinvasy atha sa jāyate punaḥ

A man breathes out (ápānati), breathes (prā́ṇati) within the womb; when, O breath, thou quickenest, then he is born again.

prāṇam āhur mātariśvānaṃ vāto ha prāṇa ucyate prāṇe ha bhūtaṃ bhavyaṃ ca prāṇe sarvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam

Breath they call Mātariçvan; breath is called the wind; in breath what has been and what will be, in breath is all established (prátiṣṭhita).

ātharvaṇīr āṅgirasīr daivīr manuṣyajā uta oṣadhayaḥ pra jāyante yadā tvaṃ prāṇa jinvasi

They of the Atharvans, they of the An̄girases, they of the gods, also those born of men—the herbs are generated (pra-jā), when thou, O breath, quickenest.

yadā prāṇo abhyavarṣīd varṣeṇa pṛthivīṃ mahīm oṣadhayaḥ prajāyante 'tho yāḥ kāś ca vīrudhaḥ

When breath hath rained with rain on the great earth, the herbs are generated, likewise whatever plants [there are].

yas te prāṇedaṃ veda yasmiṃś cāsi pratiṣṭhitaḥ sarve tasmai baliṃ harān amuṣmiṃl loka uttame

He who knoweth this of thee, O breath, and in whom thou art established—to him shall all bring tribute in yon highest world.

yathā prāṇa balihṛtas tubhyaṃ sarvāḥ prajā imāḥ evā tasmai baliṃ harān yas tvā śṛṇavat suśravaḥ

As, O breath, all these human beings (prajā́) are tribute-bearers to thee, so shall they bring tribute to him who shall hear thee, O thou of good report (suçrávas).

antar garbhaś carati devatāsv ābhūto bhūtaḥ sa u jāyate punaḥ sa bhūto bhavyaṃ bhaviṣyat pitā putraṃ pra viveśā śacībhiḥ

He moves, an embryo, within the divinities; having come into being (? ā́bhūta), having been (bhūtá), he is born again; he, having been, entered with might (çácībhis) what is to be, what will be, [as] a father a son.

ekaṃ pādaṃ notkhidati salilāddhaṃsa uccaran yad aṅga sa tam utkhiden naivādya na śvaḥ syāt na rātrī nāhaḥ syān na vyucchet kadācana

The swan (haṅsá), ascending, does not extract (ut-khid) one foot from the sea; verily, if he should extract that, there would not be today nor tomorrow; there would not be night nor day; at no time soever would it dawn (vi-vas).

aṣṭācakraṃ vartata ekanemi sahasrākṣaraṃ pra puro ni paścā ardhena viśvaṃ bhuvanaṃ jajāna yad asyārdhaṃ katamaḥ sa ketuḥ

The eight-wheeled [thing, neut.] rolls, having one rim, thousand-syllabled, forth in front, down behind; with a half it has generated all existence; what its [other] half [is]—which sign is that?

yo asya viśvajanmana īśe viśvasya ceṣṭataḥ anyeṣu kṣipradhanvane tasmai prāṇa namo 'stu te

He who is lord of this that has every (víçva) [kind of] birth, of every stirring thing—to thee being such, O breath, having a quick bow among the unexhausted (? ánya), be homage.

yo asya sarvajanmana īśe sarvasya ceṣṭataḥ atandro brahmaṇā dhīraḥ prāṇo mānutiṣṭhatu

He who is lord of this that has all (sárva) [kinds of] birth, of all that stirs, unwearied, wise by bráhman—let breath go after (anu-sthā) me.

ūrdhvaḥ supteṣu jāgāra nanu tiryaṅ nipadyate na suptam asya supteṣv anu śuśrāva kaścana

Upright among the sleeping he wakes; by no means (nanú) does he fall down horizontal (tiryán̄); no one soever has heard of his sleeping among the sleeping.

prāṇa mā mat paryāvṛto na mad anyo bhaviṣyasi apāṃ garbham iva jīvase prāṇa badhnāmi tvā mayi

O breath, turn not about from me; not another than I shalt thou be; like the embryo of the waters, in order to life (jīvás), I bind thee to me, O breath.