Upanishads · Prāṇāgnihotra 1.16
॥
Devanāgarī
स ते प्राणा वाऽऽपो गृहीत्वा हृदयमन्वालभ्य जपेत्
Transliteration (IAST)
sa te prāṇā vā''po gṛhītvā hṛdayamanvālabhya japet
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सः ते प्राणाः वै आपःsaḥ te prāṇāḥ vai āpaḥthey, the waters, are indeed the breaths
गृहीत्वाgṛhītvāhaving taken [them]
हृदयम् अन्वालभ्य जपेत्hṛdayam anvālabhya japethaving touched the heart, let him repeat
Translation
Having taken the waters — they are indeed the breaths — and touched the heart, let him repeat.
Version
e4ea3f0146cc · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The last action is described: to touch the heart and speak. Note the verb anvālabhya, "having touched," from anu-ā-labh, "to touch, to take hold of following." Touching the heart in ritual is a gesture still alive today: when speaking of himself, an Indian places his hand not on the chest in general, but on the heart.
This detail deserves attention, for it joins two threads we examined separately. The whole rite up to now has been digestive: five morsels, five breaths, fire in the belly. And it ends with touching the heart.
That is, a meal begun as satiation ends where the Present One is placed; and the heart as the place of meeting was discussed when reading the Jābāla-darśana (4.26). The Vaiṣṇava side makes this junction the foundation of its whole practice with food. In it, what is eaten is called prasāda, "grace"; and the one who receives it does not feed, but receives a gift. Hence its books say that partaking of prasāda is service, not a need.
Let us add what results from this in practice and deserves noting. A person who, every day, three times, receives food as a gift, inevitably remembers the Giver three times a day; and he no longer needs any special time set aside for remembrance.