प्रतिषेधादिति चेत्, न, शारीरात् ॥ १२ ॥
pratiṣedhāditi cet, na, śārīrāt || 12 ||
pratiṣedhāt—On account of denial; iti cet—if it be said; na—not so; śārīrāt—from the individual soul.
12. If it be said (that the Pranas of a knower of Brahman do not depart), on account of the Sruti denying it; (we say) not so, (because the scripture denies the departure of the Pranas) from the individual soul (and not from the body).
This Sutra gives the view of the opponent.
“His Pranas do not depart” (Brih. 4. 4. 6). This text refers to a knower of the Nirguna Brahman. It says that his Pranas do not depart at death. The opponent holds that the denial of the departure of the Pranas is from the soul and not from the body. It says that the Pranas do not depart from the soul—not that they do not depart from the body, for in the latter case there will be no death at all. This is made all the more clear from the Madhyandina recension, which says, “From him” etc. Therefore the soul of one who knows Brahman passes out of the body with the Pranas.