Upanishads

Prashna Upanishad

Atharvaveda
group of Upanishads – 10 main Upanishads, pure Vedanta

The Six Questions Upanishad:

1st question: About the origin of life and matter.

2nd question: About vital energy.

3rd question: About Prana and its five types:

1) the highest Prana, controlling the brain functions.
2) Apana, controlling the organs of excretion and reproduction.
3) Samana, controlling the digestive organs.
4) Vyana, controlling the organs of circulation.
5) Udana, controlling the respiratory organs.

4th question: About sleep and deep sleep.

5th question: About reflection on the sacred word.

6th question: About the sixteen parts of Purusha.

Question One

1. Sukesha Bharadvaisa, Isaibya Saityakama, Suryayani Garsya, Kausalya Asvalayana, Bhargava Vaidarbhi and Kabandi Katyayana, all of them filled with reverence for Brahman, mentally abiding in Brahman, burning with the desire to find Brahman, went with the tree¹ in their hands to the revered Pinnala, confident that he would give them the necessary instructions.

2. Addressing them, the Rishi said: "Live another year in asceticism, abstinence, faith and then ask; according to our understanding we will answer."

3. Then² Kabandi Katyayana, approaching Pinnala, said: "Teacher, tell us where all creations came from?"

4. He answered him: "The Creator, desiring to have offspring, performed a great feat³. Having accomplished it, He created Prana⁴ and Rai⁵, knowing that the two would create numerous offspring.

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1. For the sacrificial fire.

2. At the end of a year.

3. Tapas.

4. Prana, Vital energy, Breath of life, the force that connects the spirit with matter, in this case – life.

5. Rayi (Rayi) matter.

5. Truly the sun is Prana, and the moon is Rai. Everything that we see is Rai, gross and subtle bodies, everything is Rai.

6. When the sun rises in the east, its rays awaken the life force in the east, when it illuminates the south, it brings life to the south. In the west, in the north, above, below and in the middle, everywhere the sun awakens life with its rays.

7. This diverse life, penetrating everywhere, rises like fire; about this ascent the hymn sings:

8. "O Many-faced, Golden, Omniscient, heavenly shelter, warmth and source, light One.

A hundredfold, with a thousand rays, like the life of creations – You rise as the sun."

9. That is, the Creator! In Him are two paths – southern and northern. Those who bring sacrifices, do good and perform rituals reach only the world of the moon; they must return to earth again. He who knows this and wants to have offspring, chooses the southern path, and that path of the Fathers is matter (rayi, "food").

10. Walking along the northern path and striving for the Ataman by feat, abstinence and faith, you reach the sun. It is the basis of life, immortality, fearlessness, the highest goal, from which there is no return, it is the exit⁶. What does that verse say:

11. "Others call him Father, living high above the sky to the south, he is five-sheaf⁷ and twelve-faced⁸.

"Others call him omniscient, living to the north, having six spokes and seven wheels⁹.

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6. Nirodha, the end, ring pass not (do not pass the ring).

7. The five seasons of the Hindu year.

8. 12 months.

9. 7 planets.

12. The moon is the Creator! Its dark half is Rai, the light half is Prana. He who knows this performs sacrifices during the light half, he who does not know this – during the dark half.

13. Day – night is the Creator! Day is Prana, and night is Rai. He who gives himself up to the passion of love during the day loses his strength; those who give themselves up to it at night do not transgress the law.

14. Food is the Creator! It produces seeds, and from seeds creatures are born.

15. He who fulfills the command of the Creator becomes a father. The world of Brahma is attained and abides in by him who lives in asceticism and abstinence.

16. He who has no deception, no lies, no craftiness enters the world of Brahma.

Question Two

1. Then Bhargava Vaidarbhi asked: "Tell me, Teacher, how many gods care for creatures, how many of them illuminate the body? Which of them is the highest?"

2. The saint answered him: "Ether¹⁰, and then air, fire, water, earth, speech, manas, sight and hearing care for creatures and illuminate their bodies. One day they all argued among themselves, saying: "Truly we alone, by care support the body."

3. To this the supreme Prana objected to them: "Do not indulge in delusion; it is I, divided into five parts¹¹, who support and illuminate this body."

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10. That is, the gods, symbolizing, standing at the head of the forces in nature and man.

11. The five vital spirits or parts of Prana are: Prana, Apana, Vyana, Samana, Udana.

4. But they did not believe her. Then Prana began to rise to leave the body, and everyone was forced to follow her. But when Prana stopped, they all stopped. As bees fly away with their queen and remain with her, so it was with speech, manas, sight, hearing. And all of them, convinced, began to praise Prana:

5. "She is burning with fire, and the sun shines, and pours down rain, and gives gifts.

"She is the earth and the air, the gods, the Rais, what is, what is not, and what will forever be.

6. Like knitting needles in a furnace, so everything is fastened in Prana.

"Rig, Yajur, Sama-Vedas and sacrifices, power, wisdom!

7. "O Prana, the creator of creations you live in the womb and you give birth to everything.

"All creations are yours, we bring you gifts, you dwell in the lives of all.

8. "You give our sacrifices to the gods, you give gifts to the fathers.

"You are the exploits of Sita¹² and the truth of Atharvaugissas¹³.

9. "Great Indra¹⁴ you and Rudra¹⁵ – patron, like the sun you roll across the sky, the ruler of all lights.

10. "When you come as rain, creations come to life:

"We will have plenty of food, creations rejoice.

11. "Initiated by no one, the source of revelations, you create the whole world,

"We bring gifts to you, O Matarisvan¹⁶, you are our father!

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12. Faithful wife of Rama, heroine of the Ramayana.

13. Hymns of the Atharva Veda.

14. King of the gods, the thunderer.

15. God of the fiery sphere, Shiva.

16. Prophetic bird that brought heavenly fire to earth.

12. You live partly in speech, partly in hearing, sight, thought.

"Let them all be favorable to us, do not leave your body!

13. "Live this whole world and even that which is in the sky with prana.

"Like a mother to a son, protect us and give us strength and wisdom."

Question Three

1. Then Kausalya Aizvalayana asked: "Tell me, Teacher, where does Prana come from? How does it enter our body? How does it stay in it, dividing into five parts? How does it leave our body? How does it support the external and internal world?"

2. "Your questions are difficult. But since I think that you are sincerely seeking Brahman, I will answer you:

3. Atman gives birth to Prana. As a shadow emanates from a person, so Prana emanates from Atman. By his will it enters the body.

4. Just as a king appoints courtiers to govern this or that region, so the main Prana indicates to other pranas, each separately, its place.

5. Apana – Vayu controls the organs of excretion and reproduction. The highest prana controls sight, hearing, taste and smell. The middle one, Samana, perceives food and gives birth to seven flames¹⁷.

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17. Samana is the fire that assimilates food; from it come seven flames: Kali, Karali, Manojava, Sulohita, Sudhumravarna, Sphulingini.

6. In the heart lives Atman. In the heart there are one hundred and one blood vessels, to each of them belongs another one hundred vessels, each of which has seventy-two thousand branches. Viyana sets them in motion and controls them.

7. For good deeds Udana leads one of them to the world of the righteous, for sins – to the world of the sinners, for both together to the world of people.

8. In the external world Prana rises as the sun, which helps the prana of sight. The deity of the earth supports prana in people. In the space between heaven and earth is Samana, and the wind is Viyana.

9. The life fire is Udana. When this life fire in a person dies out, he passes on to a new incarnation; he is accompanied by his five senses, concentrated in manas.

10. With his last thought he unites with Prana. Prana together with Udana and Atma lead him into the world created by his desires.

11. He who knows Prana does not remain without offspring, he becomes immortal, as the verse says:

12. "He who has learned the beginning, and development, and stay, and the five-day distribution of Prana in the external world and in himself, attains immortality."

Question Four

1. Then Sauryani Gargya asked him: "Tell me, Teacher, what sleeps in the sleeping person, and what does not sleep? Which of the gods shows dreams? Where does joy come from (in deep sleep)?"

2. The sage answered him: "At sunset, all the rays again return to the solar path and unite; at sunrise, they again scatter in different directions. In the same way, everything is collected in the highest principle¹⁸, manas, and man no longer hears, does not see, does not perceive either smell or taste, does not touch, does not speak, does not take, does not reproduce, does not excrete, does not walk, but, as they say, sleeps.

3. In the city¹⁹ only the sacrificial fires of Prana do not sleep: Apana – the fire of the hearth, Viyana – the southern sacrificial fire; from the fire of the hearth comes the eastern fire.

4. Samana²⁰ it is called because it unites the sacrificial libations – inhalation and exhalation. Manas is the one who gives the sacrifice, Udana is the fruit of the sacrifice, to Brahma she daily leads the one who gives the sacrifice.

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18. Higher in relation to prana.

19. In the body.

20. That is, "merging".

5. And then (in sleep) the divine manas experiences its greatness: everything that it had seen before, it sees again, what it had heard before, it hears again, what it had experienced at different times and in different places, it experiences again. It experiences everything, seen and unseen, heard and unheard, for it is everything.

6. But when the manas is surrounded by light, it no longer sees dreams, and then happiness reigns in the body.

7. As birds fly to the tree in which they have their shelter, so everything is directed to Atman.

8. Earth and its essence²¹, water and its essence, fire and its essence, air and its essence, sight and what is seen, hearing and what is heard, smell and what is perceived by it, taste and what is suggested by it, touch and what is touched, speech and what is expressed, hands and what is grasped, reproduction and production, excretion and what is excreted, legs and what is wandering, manas and what is imagined, buddhi and what is known, Ahamkara²² and the self, memory and what is remembered, enlightenment and what is enlightened. Prana and what is supported by it.

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21. The essence is matra, measure.

22. That which constitutes the "I".

9. He is the seer, the toucher, the hearer, the smeller, the inspirer, the imaginer, the cognizer, the actor, the enlightener – Purusha. Whoever has known him, he abides in the supreme "I".

10. He who has known the bright, which has no shadow, no body, no color, reaches the highest, the imperishable. Verily, O dear one, he is conscious of his "I" and becomes everything. This is what his verse says:

11. "In that I consciously abide; the gods, the pranas, and all creatures also abide. Whoever has known, O dear one, becomes omniscient, for he enters into everything."

Question Five

1. Then Isaibya Satyakama asked him: "Tell me, O Teacher, what peace does one attain who meditates on the word "Aum" until death?"

2. The sage answered him: "Truly the word "Aum" is the lower and the higher Brahman; whoever meditates on it attains one or the other.

3. If he meditates on only one member²³, then, having understood the meaning, he quickly attains another incarnation. The hymns of Rig will lead him to the world of people, there he lives in abstinence, purity and faith and enjoys respect.

4. If he meditates on two members, then the verses of Yajur will lift him to the world of Soma²⁴. Having enjoyed the splendor of that world, he again returns to earth.

5. But if he knows three members and meditates on the highest spirit, he will attain the world of the sun. As a snake is freed from its old skin, so he is freed from all sins. The hymns of Saman lift him to the World Brahma, he sees the highest, the one who is above all high souls, the spirit dwelling in the city. Two verses speak of this:

6. "If you pronounce the three members incorrectly, separately or together, then death threatens you,

But if you pronounce them correctly in a high, medium or low voice, then have no fear"²⁵.

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23. The first member, the letter a – the first aspect, the second – y, the third – m.

24. The world of the moon.

25. Pronouncing correctly means perceiving and embodying. These expressions are all symbolic.

7. "Rik will lead you to our world. Yajur will lead you to the world of soma, and Saman to that which the enlightened one has recognized.

The sage, having found the basis in the word "Aum", will reach Him who is the ineffable world, the Supreme Being and Dispassion."

Question Six

1. Then Sukesha Bharadvaja said: "O Teacher, once Hiranyayaba, the prince of Koshal, approached me and asked: "O Bharajava, do you know the Purusha, with sixteen parts?" I answered the prince: "I do not know him; if I knew, I would tell you! "Whoever speaks untruth dries up at the root, I dare not speak untruth." Silently he got into the chariot and rode away. Now I ask you, where is that Purusha?"

2. The sage answered him: "O dear one, within the body is that Purusha, from whom the sixteen parts emanate!"

3. Purusha once thought about whose departure he would leave and whose stay he would remain.

4. And then he created Prana, from Prana faith, ether, air, light, water, earth, the sense organs, manas and food, from food strength, abstinence, mantras, action, worlds and in the worlds – name.

5. As rivers flowing to the ocean merge into it and lose their names and shapes, so that they are said to be "in the ocean," so the sixteen parts go to Purusha, reach it and in it lose their names and shapes, and they are said to be "in Purusha." Purusha²⁶ stands above all parts, he is immortal!

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26. Purusha is the spirit, the immortal thinker.

6. "Like the spokes of a wheel, so are its parts fastened together. Know it, and death loses its power over them!"

7. Addressing them all, the sage said: "This is all that I know about Brahman!"

8. Then they began to praise him: "You are our father, you, destroying our ignorance, are taking us to the other shore."

Praise to the high sages!

Praise to the high sages!