PRAŚNA UPANISHAD1 FIRST PRAŚNA Six questioners seek the highest Brahma from a teacher 1. Sukesan Bharadvāja, and Śaibya Satyakāma, and Sauryāyaṇin Gargya, and Kausalya Aśvalāyana, and Bhargava Vaidarbhi, and Kabandhin Katyāyana-these, indeed, were devoted to Brahma, intent upon Brahma, in search of the highest Brahma. Thinking 'He, verily, will tell it all,' with fuel in hand they approached the honorable Pippalāda. 2 2. To them then that seer (rşi) said: 'Dwell with me (samvatsyatha) a year (samvatsara) more, with austerity (tapas), chastity (brahmacarya), and faith (śraddha). Then ask what questions you will. If we know, we will tell you all.' Question: Concerning the source of creatures on earth 3. Then Kabandhin Katyāyana came up and asked: 'Sir, whence, verily, are creatures here born?' The Lord of Creation created matter and life for dual parentage of creatures He 4. To him then he said: 'The Lord of Creation (Prajapati), verily, was desirous of creatures (offspring, prajā). performed austerity. Having performed austerity, he produces a pair, matter (rayi, fem.) and life (prāṇa, masc.), thinking "These two will make creatures for me in manifold ways." The sun and moon, such a pair 5. The sun, verily, is life; matter, indeed, is the moon. Matter identified with every form of existence Matter, verily, is everything here, both what is formed and what is formless. Therefore material form (mūrti) indeed is matter. 1 That is, Question Upanishad. 2 The ancient token with which a person presented himself as a pupil unto a teacher whose instruction he desired. The sun, identified with the life of creatures 6. Now the sun, when it rises, enters the eastern quarter. Thereby it collects the living beings (prāna) of the east in its rays. When it illumines the southern, the western, the northern, the lower, the upper, the intervening quarters, when it illumines everything-thereby it collects all living beings in its rays. 7. That fire rises as the universal, all-formed life. This very [doctrine] has been declared in the verse : 8. [... Him] who has all forms, the golden one, all-knowing,' The final goal, the only light, heat-giving. The thousand-rayed, the hundredfold revolving, The year identified with the Lord of Creation; the two paths of reincarnation and of non-reincarnation 9. The year, verily, is Lord of Creation (Prajāpati). This has two paths, the Southern and the Northern.3 Now, those, verily, indeed, who worship, thinking "Sacrifice and merit are our work (krta)!”—they win only the lunar world. They, indeed, return hither again. Therefore those seers (rși) who are desirous of offspring go the Southern course. This matter (rayi) verily it is, that leads to the fathers (pitryāṇa). 10. But they who seek the Soul (Atman) by austerity, chastity, faith, and knowledge-they by the Northern course win the sun. That, verily, is the support of life-breaths. That is the immortal, the fearless. That is the final goal. From that they do not return-as they say (iti). That is the stopping [of rebirth]. As to that there is this verse (śloka): 1 Or, according to a different exegesis, the word jätavedasam may mean 'allfinding.' 2 This stanza occurs again in Maitri 6. 8, as the conclusion of a section which expounds the unity of Prana (life) and Āditya (the sun). 3 Elaborated in Bṛih. 6. 2. 15-16; Chānd. 4. 15. 5; Chand. 5. 10; and BhG. 8. 24-26 as the half-year of the sun's southward course and as the half-year of the sun's northward course, respectively. 4 This belief in rebirth occurs already in AV. 12. 2. 52 b. Two old Vedic interpretations of the year 11. They speak of a father, five-footed, twelve-formed,1 3 The twofold month, identified with the Lord of Creation; to be properly observed in sacrifice 12. The month, verily, is the Lord of Creation (Prajāpati), Its dark half, indeed, is matter; its bright half, life. Therefore these seers (si) perform sacrifice in the bright half; other people, in the other half. Day and night, identified with the Lord of Creation; to be properly observed in procreation 13. Day and night, verily, are the Lord of Creation (Prajāpati). Of this, day indeed is life; the night, matter. Verily, they waste their life who join in sexual enjoyment by day; it is chastity that they join in sexual enjoyment by night. Food, the direct source of creatures 14. Food, verily, is Lord of Creation (Prajapati). From this, verily, is semen. From this creatures here are born. Concluding assurance 15. Now, they who practise this rule of Prajapati 5 produce a pair.R They indeed possess that Brahma-world, Who possess austerity (tapas) and chastity (brahmacarya), 16. To them belongs yon stainless Brahma-world, In whom there is no crookedness and falsehood, nor trickery (māyā).' Both Sankara here and Sāyaṇa on the Rig-Veda passage explain this as 'the year,' 'with five seasons,' and 'with twelve months.' That is, offspring, like Prajapati himself according to § 4 SECOND PRAŚNA Concerning the several personal powers and their chiefest 1. Then Bhargava Vaidarbhi asked him [i. e. Pippalāda]: [a] Sir, how many powers (deva) support a creature? [b] How many illumine this [body]? [c] Which one again is the chiefest of them?' [a] and [b] The supporting and illumining powers 2. To him then he said: 'Space (ākāśa), verily, is such a power (deva)—wind, fire, water, earth, speech, mind, sight, and hearing; too.1 These, having illumined it, declare: "We uphold and support this trunk (bāṇa)!” [c] Life, the essential and chiefest 3. To them Life (prāṇa, the life-breath), the chiefest, said: "Fall not into delusion! I indeed, dividing myself (ātmānam) fivefold, support and sustain this body!" 4. They were incredulous. He, from pride, as it were, rises up aloft. Now when he rises up, then all the others also rise up; and when he settles down, they all settle down with him. Now, as all the bees rise up after the king bee when he rises up, and all settle down when he settles down, even so speech, mind, sight, and hearing. They, being satisfied, praise Life (prāna, the life-breath). The universal Life 5. As fire (Agni), he warms. He is the sun (Sūrya). He is the bountiful rain (Parjanya). He is the wind (Vayu). Being (sat) and Non-being (asat), and what is immortal. 6. Like the spokes on the hub of a wheel, Everything is established on Life (prāņa):— The Rig verses, the Yajus formulas, the Saman chants, The sacrifice, the nobility (kṣatra) and the priesthood (brahman)! 1 That is, the five cosmic elements, and with prana (life-breath) the five personal functions. 2 The reference may be to 'Indra,' for whom maghavan is a very common Vedic epithet. 7. As the Lord of Creation (Prajapati), thou movest in the womb. 'Tis thou thyself that art born again. To thee, O Life, creatures here bring tribute—1 Thou, who dwellest with living beings! 8. Thou art the chief bearer [of oblations] to the gods! 9. Indra art thou, O Life, with thy brilliance! 10. Thou movest in the atmosphere As the sun (Surya), thou Lord of lights! When thou rainest upon them, Then these creatures of thine, O Life, "There will be food for all desire!" 11. A Vratya art thou, O Life, the only seer, We are the givers of thy food! Thou art the father of the wind (Matariśvan). 13. This whole world is in the control of Life- 1 This line is a reminiscence of AV. 11. 4. 19 a, b, a hymn to Prāņa, of which there are other reminiscences in this Praśna Upanishad. 'Sankara explains this word as meaning uninitiated' because of his being the first born, and there being no one else to initiate him; therefore 'pure by nature.' This is a noteworthy characterization; for, later a Vrātya is either a despised, nonBrahmanical low-caste man, or else a man who has lost caste through the nonobservance of proper ceremonies! Yet compare the glorification of the Vratya in AV. 15. |