The Pratardana topic turns to the celebrated dialogue in the Kaushitaki Upanishad between Indra and King Pratardana. When asked to grant the highest boon beneficial to humanity, Indra replies: “Know me alone. I am Prana, the intelligent Self.” The central question is whether this Prana refers to Indra as a deity, the vital force, the individual soul, or Brahman.
The sutras establish that the term ultimately points to Brahman. The strongest reason is the nature of the promised result. Indra offers that which is most beneficial to human beings, and only Brahman-knowledge can truly fulfill that condition. No finite deity or vital function could be the supreme good in the Vedantic sense.
The passage also attributes to this Prana qualities such as blessedness, undecaying nature, immortality, and the power to free one from even the gravest sins. These are unmistakable marks of Brahman. Though the language appears personal, the text consistently points beyond the speaker toward the Inner Self.
An objection arises because Indra explicitly says, “I am Prana,” seemingly referring to himself. The sutras resolve this by showing that Indra speaks from the standpoint of realised identity, much like the sage Vamadeva who, upon realising Brahman, declared himself to be Manu and the sun. The deity is not glorifying individuality, but speaking from scriptural realisation of the Self.
Another difficulty comes from passages in the same section that mention the individual self and the vital force. Yet Vedanta rejects splitting the chapter into multiple unrelated meditations. The continuity from beginning to end keeps one topic throughout, and that topic is Brahman spoken of through the symbol of Prana.
The beauty of Pratardana lies in its reinterpretation of life-breath as the doorway to the Absolute. What begins as the language of vitality and divine personality unfolds into the recognition that the deepest life-principle, the intelligent self, and the supreme Brahman are one reality.
Original Text