---
type: article
status: Published
slug: "prashna-upanishad"
title: "Prashna Upanishad"
author: "Unknown"
tradition: "hindu"
language: "sa"
genre: "Upanishad"
period: "c. 1st millennium BCE"
source_url: "https://sa.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A8_%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D&oldid=400463"
certainty: observed
source: "https://sa.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A8_%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D&oldid=400463"
---
# Prashna Upanishad

## Original

### Invocation

ॐ भद्रं कर्णेभिः शृणुयाम देवा
भद्रम् पष्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः ।
स्थिरैरङ्गैस्तुष्तुवाँसस्तनूभिर्व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः ॥
स्वस्ति न इन्द्रो वृद्धश्रवाः
स्वस्ति नः पूषा विश्ववेदाः ।
स्वस्ति नस्तार्क्ष्यो अरिष्टनेमिः
स्वस्ति नो बृहस्पतिर्दधातु ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

### Question 1

1. ॐ सुकेशा च भारद्वाजः शैब्यश्च सत्यकामः सौर्यायणी
च गार्ग्यः कौसल्यश्चाश्वलायनो भार्गवो वैदर्भिः कबन्धी
कात्यायनस्ते हैते ब्रह्मपरा ब्रह्मनिष्ठाः परं
ब्रह्मान्वेषमाणा एष ह वै तत्सर्वं वक्ष्यतीति ते ह
समित्पाणयो भगवन्तं पिप्पलादमुपसन्नाः

2. तन् ह स ऋषिरुवच भूय एव तपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण श्रद्धया
संवत्सरं संवत्स्यथ
यथाकामं प्रश्नान् पृच्छत यदि विज्ञास्यामः सर्वं ह वो
वक्ष्याम इति

3. अथ कबन्धी कत्यायन उपेत्य पप्रच्छ ।
भगवन् कुते ह वा इमाः प्रजाः प्रजायन्त इति

4. तस्मै स होवाच प्रजाकामो वै प्रजापतिः स तपोऽतप्यत
स तपस्तप्त्वा स मिथुनमुत्पादयते ।
रयिं च प्रणं
चेत्येतौ मे बहुधा प्रजाः करिष्यत इति

5. आदित्यो ह वै प्राणो रयिरेव चन्द्रमा रयिर्वा एतत्
सर्वं यन्मूर्तं चामूर्तं च तस्मान्मूर्तिरेव रयिः

6. अथादित्य उदयन्यत्प्राचीं दिशं प्रविशति तेन प्राच्यान्
प्राणान् रश्मिषु सन्निधत्ते ।
यद्दक्षिणां यत् प्रतीचीं
यदुदीचीं
यदधो यदूर्ध्वं यदन्तरा दिशो यत् सर्वं प्रकाशयति
तेन सर्वान् प्राणान् रश्मिषु सन्निधत्ते

7. स एष वैश्वानरो विश्वरुपः प्राणोऽग्निरुदयते ।
तदेतदृचाऽभ्युक्तम्

8. विश्वरूपं हरिणं जातवेदसं
परायणं ज्योतिरेकं तपन्तम् ।
सहस्ररश्मिः शतधा वर्तमानः
प्राणः प्रजानामुदयत्येष सूर्यः

9. संवत्सरो वै प्रजापतिस्तस्यायने दक्षिणं चोत्तरं च ।
तद्ये ह वै तदिष्टापूर्ते कृतमित्युपासते ते चान्द्रमसमेव
लोकमभिजयन्ते ।
त एव पुनरावर्तन्ते तस्मादेत ऋषयः
प्रजाकामा दक्षिणं प्रतिपद्यन्ते ।
एष ह वै रयिर्यः
पितृयाणः

10. अथोत्तरेण तपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण श्रद्धया
विद्ययाऽऽत्मानमन्विष्यादित्यमभिजयन्ते ।
 एतद्वै
प्राणानामायतनमेतदमृतमभयमेतत् परायणमेतस्मान्न
पुनरावर्तन्त इत्येष निरोधस्तदेष श्लोकः

11. पञ्चपादं पितरं द्वादशाकृतिं
दिव आहुः परे अर्धे पुरीषिणम् ।
अथेमे अन्य उ परे विचक्षणं
सप्तचक्रे षडर आहुरर्पितमिति

12. मासो वै प्रजापतिस्तस्य कृष्णपक्ष एव रयिः
शुक्लः प्रणस्तस्मादेत ऋषयः शुक्ल इष्टं कुर्वन्तीतर
इतरस्मिन्

13. अहोरात्रो वै प्रजापतिस्तस्याहरेव प्राणो रात्रिरेव रयिः
प्राणं वा एते प्रस्कन्दन्ति ये दिवा रत्या संयुज्यन्ते
ब्रह्मचर्यमेव तद्यद्रात्रौ रत्या संयुज्यन्ते

14. अन्नं वै प्रजापतिस्ततो ह वै तद्रेतस्तस्मादिमाः प्रजाः
प्रजायन्त इति

15. तद्ये ह वै तत् प्रजापतिव्रतं चरन्ति ते मिथुनमुत्पादयन्ते ।
तेषामेवैष ब्रह्मलोको येषां तपो ब्रह्मचर्यं येषु सत्यं
प्रतिष्टितम्

16. तेषामसौ विरजो ब्रह्मलोको न येषु जिह्ममनृतं न
माया चेति

इति प्रश्नोपनिषदि प्रथमः प्रश्नः ॥

### Question 2

1. अथ हैनं भार्गवो वैदर्भिः पप्रच्छ ।
भगवन् कत्येव
देवाः प्रचां दिधारयन्ते कतर एतत् प्रकशयन्ते कः
पुनरेषां वरिष्ठ इति

2. तस्मै स होवाचाकाशो ह वा एष देवो वायुरग्निरापः
पृथिवी वाङ्मनश्चक्षुः श्रोत्रं च ।
ते प्रकाश्याभिवदन्ति
वयमेतद्बाणमवष्टभ्य विधारयामः

3. तान् वरिष्ठः प्राण उवाच ।
मा मोहमापद्यथ अहमेवैतत्
पञ्चधाऽऽत्मानं प्रविभज्यैतद्बाणमवष्टभ्य
विधारयामीति
तेऽश्रद्दधाना बभूवुः

4. सोऽभिमानादूर्ध्वमुत्क्रामत इव तस्मिन्नुत्क्रामत्यथेतरे सर्व
एवोत्क्रामन्ते तस्मि/श्च प्रतिष्ठमाने सर्व एव प्रतिष्ठन्ते ।
तद्यथा मक्षिका मधुकरराजानमुत्क्रामन्तं सर्व एवोत्क्रमन्ते
तस्मि/ष्च प्रत्ष्ठमाने सर्व एव प्रतिष्टन्त एवम्
वाङ्मनष्चक्षुः
श्रोत्रं च ते प्रीताः प्राणं स्तुन्वन्ति

5. एषोऽग्निस्तपत्येष सूर्य
एष पर्जन्यो मघवानेष वायुः
एष पृथिवी रयिर्देवः
सदसच्चामृतं च यत्

6. अरा इव रथनाभौ प्राणे सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम् ।
ऋचो यजूँषि सामानि यज्ञः क्षत्रं ब्रह्म च

7. प्रजापतिश्चरसि गर्भे त्वमेव प्रतिजायसे ।
तुभ्यं प्राण प्रजास्त्विमा बलिं हरन्ति
यः प्रणैः प्रतितिष्ठसि

8. देवानामसि वह्नितमः पितृणां प्रथमा स्वधा ।
ऋषीणां चरितं सत्यमथर्वाङ्गिरसामसि

9. इन्द्रस्त्वं प्राण तेजसा रुद्रोऽसि परिरक्षिता ।
त्वमन्तरिक्षे चरसि सूर्यस्त्वं ज्योतिषां पतिः

10. यदा त्वमभिवर्षस्यथेमाः प्राण ते प्रजाः ।
आनन्दरूपास्तिष्ठन्ति कामायान्नं भविष्यतीति

11. व्रात्यस्त्वं प्राणैकर्षरत्ता विश्वस्य सत्पतिः ।
वयमाद्यस्य दातारः पिता त्वं मातरिश्व नः

12. या ते तनूर्वाचि प्रतिष्ठिता या श्रोत्रे या च चक्षुषि ।
या च मनसि सन्तता शिवां तां कुरू मोत्क्रमीः

13. प्राणस्येदं वशे सर्वं त्रिदिवे यत् प्रतिष्ठितम् ।
मातेव पुत्रान् रक्षस्व श्रीश्च प्रज्ञां च विधेहि न इति

इति प्रश्नोपनिषदि द्वितीयः प्रश्नः ॥

### Question 3

1. अथ हैनं कौशल्यष्चाश्वलायनः पप्रच्छ ।
भगवन् कुत
एष प्राणो जायते कथमायात्यस्मिञ्शरीर आत्मानं वा
प्रविभज्य कथं प्रतिष्ठते केनोत्क्रमते कथं बह्यमभिधते
कथमध्यात्ममिति

2. तस्मै स होउवाचातिप्रष्चान् पृच्छसि ब्रह्मिष्ठोऽसीति
तस्मात्तेऽहं ब्रवीमि

3. आत्मन एष प्राणो जायते ।
यथैषा पुरुषे
छायैतस्मिन्नेतदाततं
मनोकृतेनायात्यस्मिञ्शरीरे

यथा सम्रादेवाधिकृतान् विनियुङ्क्ते ।
एतन् ग्रामानोतान्
ग्रामानधितिष्टस्वेत्येवमेवैष प्राण इतरान् प्राणान् पृथक्
पृथगेव सन्निधत्ते

5. पायूपस्थेऽपानं चक्षुःश्रोत्रे मुखनासिकाभ्यां प्राणः
स्वयं
प्रातिष्टते मध्ये तु समानः ।
एष ह्येतद्धुतमन्नं समं
नयति
तस्मादेताः सप्तार्चिषो भवन्ति

6. हृदि ह्येष आत्मा ।
अत्रैतदेकशतं नाडीनं तासां शतं
शतमेकैकस्या द्वासप्ततिर्द्वासप्ततिः
प्रतिशाखानाडीसहस्राणि
भवन्त्यासु व्यानश्चरति

7. अथैकयोर्ध्व उदानः पुण्येन पुण्यं लोकं नयति पापेन
पापमुभाभ्यामेव मनुष्यलोकम्

8. आदित्यो ह वै बाह्यः प्राण उदयत्येष ह्येनं चाक्षुषं
प्राणमनुगृह्णानः ।
पृथिव्यां या देवता सैषा पुरुषस्य
अपानमवष्टभ्यान्तरा यदाकाशः स समानो वायुर्व्यानः

9. तेजो ह वा उदानस्तस्मादुपशान्ततेजाः ।
पुनर्भवमिन्द्रियैर्मनसि सम्पध्यमानैः

10. यच्चित्तस्तेनैष प्राणमायाति ।
प्राणस्तेजसा युक्तः सहात्मना
तथासङ्कल्पितं लोकं नयति

11. य एवं विद्वान् प्राणं वेद न हास्य प्रजा हीयतेऽमृतो
भवति तदेषः श्लोकः

12. उत्पत्तिमायतिं स्थानं विभुत्वं चैव पञ्चधा ।
अध्यात्मं चैव प्राणस्य विज्ञायामृतमश्नुते
विज्ञायामृतमश्नुत इति

इति प्रश्नोपनिषदि तृतीयः प्रश्नः ॥

### Question 4

1. अथ हैनं सौर्यायणि गार्ग्यः पप्रच्छ ।
भगवन्नेतस्मिन्
पुरुषे कानि स्वपन्ति कान्यस्मिञ्जाग्रति कतर एष देवः
स्वप्नान् पश्यति कस्यैतत् सुखं भवति कस्मिन्नु सर्वे
सम्प्रतिष्टिता भवन्तीति

2. तस्मै स होवच ।
यथ गार्ग्य मरीचयोऽर्कस्यास्तं
गच्छतः सर्वा एतस्मिंस्तेजोमण्डल एकीभवन्ति ।
ताः पुनः
पुनरुदयतः प्रचरन्त्येवं ह वै तत् सर्वं परे देवे
मनस्येकीभवति
तेन तर्ह्येष पुरुषो न शृणोति न पश्यति न
जिघ्रति न रसयते न स्पृशते नाभिवदते नादत्ते नानन्दयते
न विसृजते नेयायते स्वपितीत्याचक्षते

3. प्राणाग्रय एवैतस्मिन् पुरे जाग्रति ।
गार्हपत्यो ह
वा एषोऽपानो व्यानोऽन्वाहार्यपचनो यद्गार्हपत्यात् प्रणीयते
प्रणयनादाहवनीयः प्राणः

4. यदुच्छ्वासनिःश्वासावेतावाहुती समं नयतीति स समानः ।
मनो ह वाव यजमानः ।
इष्टफलमेवोदानः ।
स
एनं यजमानमहरहर्ब्रह्म गमयति

5. अत्रैष देवः स्वप्ने महिमानमनुभवति ।
यद्दृष्टं
दृष्टमनुपश्यति
श्रुतं श्रुतमेवार्थमनुशृणोति देशदिगन्तरैश्च
प्रत्यनुभूतं
पुनः पुनः प्रत्यनुभवति दृष्टं चादृष्टं च श्रुतं
चाश्रुतं
चानुभूतं चाननुभूतं च स्च्चासच्च सर्वं पश्यति सर्वः
पस्यति

6. स यदा तेजसाऽभिभूतो भवति ।
अत्रैष देवः स्वप्नान्न
पश्यत्यथ यदैतस्मिञ्शरीर एतत्सुखं भवति

7. स यथा सोभ्य वयांसि वसोवृक्षं संप्रतिष्ठन्ते ।
एवं
ह वै तत् सर्वं पर आत्मनि संप्रतिष्ठते

8. पृथिवी च पृथिवीमात्रा चापश्चापोमात्रा च तेजश्च
तेजोमात्रा च वायुश्च वायुमात्रा चाकाशश्चाकाशमात्रा
च चक्षुश्च द्रष्टव्यं च श्रोत्रं च श्रोतव्यं च ग्राणं च
घ्रातव्यं च रसश्च रसयितव्यं च त्वक्च स्पर्शयितव्यं च
वाक्च वक्तव्यं च हस्तौ चादातव्यं चोपस्थश्चानन्दयितव्यं
च पायुश्च विसर्जयितव्यं च यादौ च गन्तव्यं च मनश्च
मन्तव्यं च बुद्धिश्च बोद्धिव्यं चाहङ्कारश्चाहङ्कर्तव्यं च
चित्तं च चेतयितव्यं च तेजश्च विद्योतयितव्यं च प्राणश्च
विद्यारयितव्यं च

9. एष हि द्रष्टा स्प्रष्टा श्रोता घ्राता रसयिता मन्ता
बोद्धा कर्ता विज्ञानात्मा पुरुषः ।
स परेऽक्षर आत्मनि
सम्प्रतिष्ठते

10. परमेवाक्षरं प्रतिपद्यते स यो ह वै
तदच्छायमशरीरम्लोहितं
शुभ्रमक्षरं वेदयते यस्तु सोम्य ।
स सर्वज्ञः सर्वो भवति ।
तदेष श्लोकः

11. विज्ञानात्मा सह देवैश्च सर्वैः
प्राणा भुतानि संप्रतिष्ठन्ति यत्र
तदक्षरं वेदयते यस्तु सोम्य
स सर्वज्ञः सर्वमेवाविवेशेति

इति प्रश्नोपनिषदि चतुर्थः प्रश्नः ॥

### Question 5

1. अथ हैनं शैब्यः सत्यकामः पप्रच्छ ।
स यो ह वै तद्भगवन्मनुष्येषु प्रायणान्तमोङ्कारमभिध्यायीत ।
कतमं वाव स तेन लोकं जयतीति ।
तस्मै स होवाच

2. एतद्वै सत्यकाम परं चापरं च ब्रह्म यदोङ्कारः ।
तस्माद्विद्वानेतेनैवायतनेनैकतरमन्वेति

3. स यध्येकमात्रमभिध्यायीत स तेनैव संवेदितस्तूर्णमेव जगत्याभिसंपध्यते ।
तमृचो मनुष्यलोकमुपनयन्ते स तत्र तपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण श्रद्धया संपन्नो महिमानमनुभवति

4. अथ यदि द्विमात्रेण मनसि संपद्यते सोऽन्तरिक्षं यजुर्भिरुन्नीयते सोमलोकम् ।
स सोमलोके विभुतिमनुभूय पुनरावर्तते

5. यः पुनरेतं त्रिमात्रेणोमित्येतेनैवाक्षरेण परं पुरुषमभिध्यायीत स तेजसि सूर्ये संपन्नः ।
यथा पादोदरस्त्वचा विनिर्मुच्यत एवं ह वै स पाप्मना विनिर्मुक्तः स सामभिरुन्नीयते ब्रह्मलोकं स एतस्माज्जीवघनात् परात्परं पुरुशयं पुरुषमीक्षते ।
तदेतौ श्लोकौ भवतः

6. तिस्रो मात्रा मृत्युमत्यः प्रयुक्ता
अन्योन्यसक्ताः अनविप्रयुक्ताः ।
क्रियासु बाह्याभ्यन्तरमध्यमासु
सम्यक् प्रयुक्तासु न कम्पते ज्ञः

7. ऋग्भिरेतं यजुर्भिरन्तरिक्षं
सामभिर्यत् तत् कवयो वेदयन्ते ।
तमोङ्कारेणैवायतनेनान्वेति विद्वान्
यत्तच्छान्तमजरममृतमभयं परं चेति

इति प्रश्नोपनिषदि पञ्चमः प्रश्नः ॥

### Question 6

1. अथ हैनं सुकेशा भारद्वाजः पप्रच्छ ।
भगवन्
हिरण्यनाभः
कौसल्यो राजपुत्रो मामुपेत्यैतं प्रश्नमपृच्छत ।
षोडशकलं
भारद्वाज पुरुषं वेत्थ ।
तमहं कुमारम्ब्रुवं नाहमिमं
वेद ।
यध्यहमिममवेदिषं कथं ते नावक्ष्यमिति ।
समूलो वा
एष परिशुष्यति योऽनृतमभिवदति तस्मान्नार्हम्यनृतं वक्तुम् ।
स तूष्णीं रथमारुह्य प्रवव्राज ।
तं त्वा पृच्छामि क्वासौ
पुरुष इति

2. तस्मै स होवाच ।
इहैइवान्तःशरीरे सोभ्य स पुरुषो
यस्मिन्नताः षोडशकलाः प्रभवन्तीति

3. स ईक्षाचक्रे ।
कस्मिन्नहमुत्क्रान्त उत्क्रान्तो भविष्यामि
कस्मिन्वा प्रतिष्टिते प्रतिष्टस्यामीति

4. स प्राणमसृजत प्राणाच्छ्रद्धां खं वायुर्ज्योतिरापः
पृथिवीन्द्रियं मनः ।
अन्नमन्नाद्वीर्यं तपो मन्त्राः कर्म
लोका
लोकेषु च नाम च

5. स यथेमा नध्यः स्यन्दमानाः समुद्रायणाः समुद्रं
प्राप्यास्तं
गच्छन्ति भिध्येते तासां नामरुपे समुद्र इत्येवं प्रोच्यते ।
एवमेवास्य परिद्रष्टुरिमाः षोडशकलाः पुरुषायणाः
पुरुषं
प्राप्यास्तं गच्छन्ति भिध्येते चासां नामरुपे पुरुष इत्येवं
प्रोच्यते स एषोऽकलोऽमृतो भवति तदेष श्लोकः

6. अरा इव रथनाभौ कला यस्मिन्प्रतिष्टिताः ।
तं वेध्यं पुरुषं वेद यथ मा वो मृत्युः परिव्यथा इति

7. तान् होवाचैतावदेवाहमेतत् परं ब्रह्म वेद ।
नातः
परमस्तीति

8. ते तमर्चयन्तस्त्वं हि नः पिता योऽस्माकमविध्यायाः
परं परं तारयसीति ।
नमः परमऋषिभ्यो नमः
परमऋषिभ्यः

इति प्रश्नोपनिषदि षष्ठः प्रश्नः ॥

### Closing invocation

ॐ भद्रं कर्णेभिः शृणुयाम देवा
भद्रं पष्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः ।
स्थिरैरङ्गैस्तुष्तुवाँसस्तनूभिर्व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः ॥
स्वस्ति न इन्द्रो वृद्धश्रवाः
स्वस्ति नः पूषा विश्ववेदाः ।
स्वस्ति नस्तार्क्ष्यो अरिष्टनेमिः
स्वस्ति नो बृहस्पतिर्दधातु ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

## Translation — Mouseia

> Machine-assisted translation directly from Sanskrit.

### Invocation

Om. Gods, may our ears hear what is auspicious;
may our eyes see what is auspicious, you who receive our worship.
With steadfast limbs and bodies praising you, may we live out the lifespan the gods allot.
May Indra, whose fame is ancient, grant us well-being;
may Pushan, who knows all things, grant us well-being.
May Tarkshya, whose wheel is unharmed, grant us well-being;
may Brihaspati grant us well-being.
Om. Peace, peace, peace.

### Question 1

1. Om. Sukesha Bharadvaja, Satyakama Shaibya, Gargya Sauryayani, Kaushalya Ashvalayana, Bhargava Vaidarbhi, and Kabandhin Katyayana were devoted to Brahman, grounded in Brahman, and seeking the highest Brahman. Thinking, “He will surely tell us all of this,” they approached the venerable Pippalada with sacrificial wood in their hands.

2. The seer said to them, “Remain here another year in austerity, chastity, and faith. Then ask whatever questions you desire. If we know the answers, we will tell you everything.”

3. Then Kabandhin Katyayana approached and asked, “Venerable sir, from what are these creatures born?”

4. He told him, “Prajapati desired offspring and practiced austerity. Having practiced austerity, he brought forth a pair: matter and life-breath. He thought, ‘These two will produce manifold offspring for me.’

5. “The sun is life-breath; the moon is matter. All this, both what has form and what has no form, is matter. Therefore form itself is matter.

6. “As the rising sun enters the eastern quarter, it gathers the eastern life-breaths into its rays. As it lights the south, the west, the north, what is below and above, the quarters between, and everything, it gathers all life-breaths into its rays.

7. “This is the fire common to all, taking every form, the life-breath that rises. This is declared in a verse:

8. “Taking every form, golden, knowing all that is born,
the ultimate refuge, the one light that gives heat,
with a thousand rays, abiding in a hundred ways,
this sun rises, the life-breath of creatures.

9. “The year is Prajapati. Its two courses are the southern and the northern. Those who revere sacrifices and works of public benefit as their accomplishment win only the world of the moon. They return again. Therefore seers who desire offspring take the southern course. This path of the ancestors is matter.

10. “But those who seek the Self through austerity, chastity, faith, and knowledge win the sun by the northern course. This is the abode of life-breaths, the immortal, the fearless, the ultimate refuge. From it they do not return. It bars the way back. Of this there is a verse:

11. “They call him the father with five feet and twelve forms,
rich in water, in the far half of heaven.
But others call him the discerning one,
set upon seven wheels and six spokes.

12. “The month is Prajapati. Its dark fortnight is matter; its bright fortnight is life-breath. Therefore these seers perform sacrifice in the bright fortnight; the others do so in the other.

13. “Day and night are Prajapati. Day is life-breath; night is matter. Those who unite in sexual pleasure by day spill away their life-breath. Union in sexual pleasure by night is itself observance of chastity.

14. “Food is Prajapati. From it comes seed, and from that these creatures are born.

15. “Those who keep this observance of Prajapati bring forth a pair. The world of Brahman belongs to those in whom austerity and chastity abide, in whom truth is firmly established.

16. “That stainless world of Brahman belongs to those in whom there is no crookedness, no falsehood, and no deceit.”

Thus ends the first question in the Prashna Upanishad.

### Question 2

1. Then Bhargava Vaidarbhi asked him, “Venerable sir, how many gods sustain a creature? Which of them make it manifest, and which is greatest among them?”

2. He told him, “Space is such a god, as are wind, fire, water, earth, speech, mind, sight, and hearing. Revealing themselves, they declare, ‘We support this body and hold it together.’

3. “Life-breath, the greatest among them, said, ‘Do not be deluded. I alone divide myself fivefold, support this body, and hold it together.’ They did not believe him.

4. “In his pride he seemed to rise and leave. When he rose, all the others rose; when he settled, all of them settled. Just as bees all fly up when their king flies up and all settle when he settles, so did speech, mind, sight, and hearing. Delighted, they praised life-breath:

5. “He burns as fire; he is the sun,
he is Parjanya, he is bountiful Indra, he is wind;
he is earth, matter, the god,
what is and what is not, and what is immortal.

6. “As spokes in a chariot's hub, all things rest in life-breath:
the Rig verses, the Yajus formulas, the Saman chants, sacrifice, royal power, and sacred knowledge.

7. “As Prajapati you move in the womb; you yourself are born anew.
To you, life-breath, these creatures bring their tribute,
to you who abide with the life-breaths.

8. “You bear offerings best to the gods, the first ancestral offering to the fathers;
you are the true practice of the seers, the Atharvans and Angirases.

9. “In splendor you are Indra, life-breath; you are Rudra, the protector.
You move through the middle sky; as the sun you are lord of lights.

10. “When you pour down rain, life-breath, these creatures of yours
stand filled with joy: ‘There will be food to our desire!’

11. “You are uninitiated, life-breath, the lone seer, the eater, the good lord of all.
We are givers of what you eat; you are our father, Matarishvan.

12. “That form of yours established in speech, in hearing, and in sight,
that which extends through the mind—make it gracious; do not depart.

13. “All this is under life-breath's sway, all that is established in the third heaven.
Guard us as a mother guards her children; bestow prosperity and wisdom upon us.”

Thus ends the second question in the Prashna Upanishad.

### Question 3

1. Then Kaushalya Ashvalayana asked him, “Venerable sir, from what is this life-breath born? How does it enter this body? How does it divide itself and become established? By what does it leave? How does it uphold what is outside, and how what is within the person?”

2. He told him, “Your questions reach beyond the ordinary. You are firmly grounded in Brahman; therefore I will tell you.

3. “This life-breath is born from the Self. As a shadow depends upon a person, so this is spread upon the Self. It enters this body through the mind's activity.

“As a sovereign appoints officials, saying, ‘Govern these villages and those villages,’ so this life-breath assigns the other life-breaths, each to its separate station.

5. “The downward breath is in the organs of excretion and generation. Life-breath itself is established in the eyes and ears, and through the mouth and nostrils. In the middle is the equalizing breath: it distributes equally the food that is offered. From this arise the seven flames.

6. “The Self is in the heart. Here there are a hundred and one channels. Each has a hundred branches, and each branch has seventy-two thousand subsidiary channels. Through these moves the pervasive breath.

7. “Through one channel the ascending breath leads upward: to a good world through good action, to an evil world through evil action, and through both to the human world.

8. “The sun rises as the outward life-breath, for it favors the life-breath in the eye. The deity in the earth supports a person's downward breath. The space between is the equalizing breath; wind is the pervasive breath.

9. “Heat is the ascending breath. Therefore one whose heat has subsided goes to another birth, the senses gathering into the mind.

10. “With whatever thought one has, one enters life-breath. Life-breath, joined with heat and accompanying the self, leads to the world shaped by that intention.

11. “One who knows life-breath with this understanding suffers no loss of offspring and becomes immortal. Of this there is a verse:

12. “Knowing life-breath's origin, its coming, its station, its fivefold sovereignty,
and its presence within the person, one attains immortality;
one attains immortality.”

Thus ends the third question in the Prashna Upanishad.

### Question 4

1. Then Gargya Sauryayani asked him, “Venerable sir, what sleeps in this person, and what stays awake? Which god sees dreams? To whom does this happiness belong? In what do they all come to rest?”

2. He told him, “Gargya, as all the rays of the setting sun become one in its luminous disk and spread out again when it rises, so all these become one in the highest god, the mind. Therefore at that time a person does not hear, see, smell, taste, touch, speak, grasp, enjoy sexual pleasure, discharge, or move about. People say, ‘He sleeps.’

3. “Only the fires of life-breath stay awake in this city. The downward breath is the household fire; the pervasive breath is the southern fire. The life-breath is the offering fire, since it is led forth from the household fire.

4. “The equalizing breath bears equally these two offerings, the out-breath and the in-breath. The mind is the sacrificer; the ascending breath is the very fruit of sacrifice. It brings this sacrificer to Brahman day after day.

5. “Here, in dream, this god experiences its greatness. What it has seen it sees again; what it has heard it hears again. What it has experienced in other lands and directions it experiences again and again. Seen and unseen, heard and unheard, experienced and unexperienced, real and unreal—it sees everything; becoming all, it sees.

6. “When it is overwhelmed by light, this god no longer sees dreams. Then this happiness arises in the body.

7. “As birds, dear one, come to rest in their roosting tree, so all this comes to rest in the highest Self:

8. “Earth and the subtle element of earth; water and the subtle element of water; fire and the subtle element of fire; air and the subtle element of air; space and the subtle element of space; the eye and what is to be seen; the ear and what is to be heard; smell and what is to be smelled; taste and what is to be tasted; skin and what is to be touched; speech and what is to be spoken; hands and what is to be grasped; the organ of generation and what is to be enjoyed; the organ of excretion and what is to be discharged; feet and where they are to go; mind and what is to be thought; understanding and what is to be understood; the sense of ‘I’ and what is claimed as ‘I’; consciousness and what is to be perceived; light and what is to be illuminated; life-breath and what is to be sustained.

9. “For this is the seer, the toucher, the hearer, the smeller, the taster, the thinker, the understander, the doer: the person whose self is knowing. He comes to rest in the highest, imperishable Self.

10. “Whoever knows that shadowless, bodiless, colorless, pure imperishable attains the highest imperishable itself, dear one. He knows all and becomes all. Of this there is a verse:

11. “Where the knowing self, with all the gods,
the life-breaths and the elements, comes to rest—
whoever knows that imperishable, dear one,
knows all and has entered everything.”

Thus ends the fourth question in the Prashna Upanishad.

### Question 5

1. Then Satyakama Shaibya asked him, “Venerable sir, if a person meditates on Om until the end of life, what world does he win by it?” He told him:

2. “Satyakama, this Om is both the higher and the lower Brahman. Therefore, knowing this, one reaches either through this support alone.

3. “If he meditates on one measure, enlightened by that alone he swiftly attains the earthly world. The Rig verses lead him to the human world. There, endowed with austerity, chastity, and faith, he experiences greatness.

4. “But if he attains it in his mind with two measures, the Yajus formulas raise him to the middle sky, to the world of the moon. Having experienced its splendor in the moon's world, he returns again.

5. “But one who meditates on the highest Person through this very syllable Om with its three measures becomes one with the sun's radiance. As a snake casts off its skin, so he is freed from evil. The Saman chants raise him to the world of Brahma. Beyond this aggregate of living beings, he beholds the Person who dwells in the city, higher than the high. Of this there are two verses:

6. “The three measures are subject to death; employed
in union with one another, not separately,
rightly applied in outward, inward, and intermediate acts,
they leave the knower unshaken.

7. “Through the Rig verses, this world; through the Yajus, the middle sky;
through the Saman chants, what the seers make known.
The knower reaches it through Om alone as his support:
that which is peaceful, ageless, immortal, fearless, and supreme.”

Thus ends the fifth question in the Prashna Upanishad.

### Question 6

1. Then Sukesha Bharadvaja asked him, “Venerable sir, Hiranyanabha, a prince of Kosala, came to me and asked this question: ‘Bharadvaja, do you know the Person with sixteen parts?’ I told the prince, ‘I do not know him. If I knew him, how could I fail to tell you? Whoever speaks falsehood withers away, root and all; therefore I must not speak falsely.’ He mounted his chariot in silence and departed. I ask you: where is that Person?”

2. He told him, “Here, within this very body, dear one, is the Person in whom these sixteen parts arise.

3. “He reflected, ‘When what departs will I depart? When what remains will I remain?’

4. “He created life-breath. From life-breath he created faith, space, air, light, water, earth, the senses, mind, and food; from food, strength, austerity, sacred formulas, action, worlds, and in the worlds, name.

5. “As these flowing rivers, bound for the ocean, reach it and disappear, their names and forms dissolve, and one speaks only of the ocean. So these sixteen parts of this seer, bound for the Person, reach him and disappear. Their names and forms dissolve, and one speaks only of the Person. He becomes partless and immortal. Of this there is a verse:

6. “As spokes in a chariot's hub, the parts rest in him.
Know that Person who is to be known, so that death may not torment you.”

7. He told them, “This much alone do I know of this highest Brahman. There is nothing beyond it.”

8. Worshiping him, they said, “You are indeed our father, for you carry us beyond ignorance to the farther shore.” Homage to the highest seers! Homage to the highest seers!

Thus ends the sixth question in the Prashna Upanishad.

### Closing invocation

Om. Gods, may our ears hear what is auspicious;
may our eyes see what is auspicious, you who receive our worship.
With steadfast limbs and bodies praising you, may we live out the lifespan the gods allot.
May Indra, whose fame is ancient, grant us well-being;
may Pushan, who knows all things, grant us well-being.
May Tarkshya, whose wheel is unharmed, grant us well-being;
may Brihaspati grant us well-being.
Om. Peace, peace, peace.

## Translation — Mouseia

> Independent machine-assisted translation from Sanskrit.

### Invocation

Om. Gods, may we hear what is good with our ears.
You who deserve worship, may we see what is good with our eyes.
May we praise you with steady limbs and bodies and live out the lifetime the gods have given us.
May Indra, whose fame is great, bring us well-being.
May Pushan, who knows everything, bring us well-being.
May Tarkshya, whose wheel-rim is undamaged, bring us well-being.
May Brihaspati bring us well-being.
Om. Peace, peace, peace.

### Question 1

1. Om. Sukesha Bharadvaja, Satyakama Shaibya, Gargya Sauryayani, Kaushalya Ashvalayana, Bhargava Vaidarbhi, and Kabandhin Katyayana were devoted to Brahman and firmly grounded in Brahman. They were looking for the highest Brahman. Thinking, "He will explain all of this to us," they went to the respected Pippalada, carrying firewood in their hands.

2. The sage told them, "Live here for one more year with discipline, celibacy, and faith. Then ask whatever questions you want. If we know the answers, we will tell you everything."

3. Then Kabandhin Katyayana came forward and asked, "Sir, where do all these living beings come from?"

4. He told him, "Prajapati wanted offspring. He practiced intense discipline. After doing so, he brought forth a pair: matter and life-breath. He thought, 'These two will produce many kinds of offspring for me.'

5. "The sun is life-breath, and the moon is matter. Everything here, with form or without form, is matter. So bodily form is matter.

6. "When the sun rises and enters the east, it gathers the life-breaths in the east into its rays. As it lights up the south, the west, the north, what is below, what is above, the directions in between, and everything, it gathers all life-breaths into its rays.

7. "This is Vaishvanara, the fire that belongs to everyone and takes every form. It rises as life-breath. A Rig Veda verse says this about it:

8. "'Taking every form, golden, knowing all that is born,
the final refuge, the one shining light that gives heat—
with a thousand rays, appearing in a hundred ways,
this sun rises, the life-breath of living beings.'

9. "The year is Prajapati. It has two courses, the southern and the northern. Those who regard sacrifices and public good works as the deed to be done win only the world of the moon. They return again. That is why sages who want offspring take the southern path. This path of the ancestors is matter.

10. "But those who look for the Self through discipline, celibacy, faith, and knowledge reach the sun by the northern path. This is the home of life-breaths. This is immortal and free from fear. This is the final refuge. From here they do not return. Here their return is stopped. There is this verse about it:

11. "'They call him the father with five feet and twelve forms,
full of water, in the farther half of heaven.
Others, though, call him the farseeing one,
set on seven wheels and six spokes.'

12. "The month is Prajapati. Its dark half is matter; its bright half is life-breath. That is why these sages offer sacrifices in the bright half. Others do so in the other half.

13. "Day and night are Prajapati. Day is life-breath, and night is matter. Those who have sex during the day waste their life-breath. Having sex at night is itself celibacy.

14. "Food is Prajapati. From it comes semen. From that these living beings are born.

15. "Those who follow this rule of Prajapati produce a pair of offspring. This world of Brahman belongs only to those who practice discipline and celibacy and in whom truth is firmly established.

16. "That stainless world of Brahman belongs to those who have no crookedness, no falsehood, and no deceit."

Here ends the first question of the Prashna Upanishad.

### Question 2

1. Then Bhargava Vaidarbhi asked him, "Sir, how many divine powers support a living being? Which ones make it function? And which of them is the greatest?"

2. He told him, "These divine powers are space, wind, fire, water, earth, speech, mind, sight, and hearing. They show themselves and declare, 'We hold this body together and support it.'

3. "Life-breath, the greatest of them, told them, 'Do not be mistaken. I alone divide myself into five parts, hold this body together, and support it.' They did not believe him.

4. "Out of pride, he acted as though he were rising to leave. When he rose, all the others rose too. When he settled back, all of them settled back. All the bees rise when their king rises to leave, and all settle when he settles. In just this way, speech, mind, sight, and hearing followed life-breath. Pleased with him, they praised him:

5. "'He burns as fire; he is the sun.
He is Parjanya, the rain god; he is bountiful Indra; he is wind.
He is earth and matter, the divine power,
what exists, what does not exist, and what is immortal.

6. "'Everything rests on life-breath, like spokes in the hub of a chariot wheel:
Rig Veda verses, Yajur Veda formulas, Sama Veda songs, sacrifice, ruling power, and sacred knowledge.

7. "'As Prajapati, you move in the womb; you yourself are born again.
Life-breath, these creatures bring offerings to you,
who are established in the life-breaths.

8. "'You carry offerings to the gods better than anyone; you are the first food offered to the ancestors.
You are the truth lived by the sages, the Atharvans and Angirases.

9. "'Life-breath, in your power you are Indra; you are Rudra, the protector.
You travel through the sky. You are the sun, the lord of lights.

10. "'When you pour down rain, life-breath, these creatures of yours
are filled with joy, thinking, “There will be as much food as we want.”

11. "'Life-breath, you are uninitiated, the lone seer, the eater, the true lord of everything.
We give you food to eat. Matarishvan, you are our father.

12. "'That body of yours established in speech, in hearing, and in sight,
and extending through the mind—make it kind. Do not leave us.

13. "'Everything here is under life-breath's control, including all that is established in the third heaven.
Protect us as a mother protects her children. Give us prosperity and understanding.'"

Here ends the second question of the Prashna Upanishad.

### Question 3

1. Then Kaushalya Ashvalayana asked him, "Sir, where does this life-breath come from? How does it enter this body? How does it divide itself and settle here? By what means does it leave? How does it support what is outside, and how does it support what is within a person?"

2. He told him, "You are asking very deep questions. But you are firmly grounded in Brahman, so I will tell you.

3. "This life-breath comes from the Self. Just as a shadow depends on a person, life-breath depends on the Self. It enters this body through the mind's activity.

"An emperor appoints officials, telling them, 'Take charge of these villages and those villages.' In the same way, this life-breath assigns the other life-breaths to their separate places.

5. "It places apana, the downward breath, in the anus and the genitals. Life-breath itself settles in the eyes and ears and works through the mouth and nostrils. In the middle is samana, the balancing breath. It distributes evenly the food offered to it. From this come the seven flames.

6. "The Self is in the heart. Here there are one hundred and one channels. Each of them has a hundred branches. Each branch has seventy-two thousand smaller channels. Vyana, the spreading breath, moves through them.

7. "Through one channel that goes upward, udana, the rising breath, leads a person to a good world through good deeds, to a bad world through bad deeds, and to the human world through both.

8. "The sun is the outer life-breath. It rises and supports the life-breath in the eye. The divine power in the earth supports a person's downward breath. The space between is the balancing breath, and wind is the spreading breath.

9. "Heat is the rising breath. So when a person's heat dies down, the senses come together in the mind, and the person goes on to another birth.

10. "Whatever a person's state of mind, with that they enter life-breath. Life-breath joins with heat and, together with the individual Self, leads them to the world they have in mind.

11. "When someone understands life-breath in this way, their line of offspring does not die out, and they become immortal. There is this verse about it:

12. "'By understanding life-breath's origin, arrival, place, and fivefold spread,
and its working within a person, one gains immortality.
By understanding it, one gains immortality.'"

Here ends the third question of the Prashna Upanishad.

### Question 4

1. Then Gargya Sauryayani asked him, "Sir, which things in a person sleep, and which stay awake? Which divine power sees dreams? Who experiences this happiness? And in what do all of them come to rest?"

2. He told him, "Gargya, when the sun sets, all its rays come together in its circle of light. When it rises again, they spread out again. In the same way, all these powers come together in the mind, the higher divine power. Then the person does not hear, see, smell, taste, touch, speak, grasp, enjoy sexual pleasure, pass waste, or walk. People say, 'The person is asleep.'

3. "Only the fires of life-breath stay awake in this city of the body. The downward breath is the household fire, Garhapatya. The spreading breath is the southern cooking fire, Anvaharyapachana. Life-breath is the offering fire, Ahavaniya, because it is taken from the household fire and carried forward.

4. "The balancing breath gets its name because it carries the two offerings, breathing in and breathing out, evenly. The mind is the person making the sacrifice. The rising breath is the sacrifice's reward. Every day it leads the person making the sacrifice to Brahman.

5. "Here, in dreams, this divine power experiences its greatness. It sees again what it has seen. It hears again the very things it has heard. What it has experienced in other places and directions, it experiences over and over again. It sees what has been seen and what has not been seen, what has been heard and what has not been heard, what has been experienced and what has not been experienced, what is real and what is not real. It sees everything, being everything.

6. "When this divine power is overcome by light, it sees no dreams. Then this happiness arises in the body.

7. "My friend, birds settle in a tree where they roost. In the same way, all of this settles in the highest Self:

8. "Earth and the subtle element of earth; water and the subtle element of water; fire and the subtle element of fire; wind and the subtle element of wind; space and the subtle element of space; sight and what can be seen; hearing and what can be heard; smell and what can be smelled; taste and what can be tasted; skin and what can be touched; speech and what can be said; hands and what can be grasped; the sexual organ and what can give sexual pleasure; the anus and what can be expelled; feet and where one can go; mind and what can be thought; understanding and what can be understood; the sense of 'I' and what can be taken as 'I'; awareness and what can be noticed; light and what can be lit up; life-breath and what it supports.

9. "This is the one who sees, touches, hears, smells, tastes, thinks, understands, and acts: the conscious Self, the person. This one comes to rest in the highest, imperishable Self.

10. "My friend, whoever knows that shadowless, bodiless, colorless, pure, imperishable reality reaches the highest imperishable reality itself. That person knows everything and becomes everything. There is this verse about it:

11. "'The conscious Self, together with all the divine powers,
the life-breaths, and the elements come to rest in it.
My friend, whoever knows that imperishable reality
knows everything and has entered everything.'"

Here ends the fourth question of the Prashna Upanishad.

### Question 5

1. Then Satyakama Shaibya asked him, "Sir, if someone meditates on Om until the end of life, which world do they win by doing that?" He told him:

2. "Satyakama, Om is both the higher and the lower Brahman. So a person who knows this reaches one or the other by this very support.

3. "If someone meditates on just one measure, that alone awakens them, and they quickly come to the earth. The Rig Veda verses lead them to the human world. There, with discipline, celibacy, and faith, they experience greatness.

4. "If someone brings two measures into the mind in meditation, the Yajur Veda formulas lift them to the middle region, the world of the moon. After experiencing the wealth and power of the moon's world, they return again.

5. "But if someone meditates on the highest Person with this very syllable Om in its three measures, they reach the sun's light. As a snake sheds its skin, they are freed from evil. The Sama Veda songs lift them to the world of Brahma. They see the Person who lives in the city of the body, higher than this high mass of living beings. There are these two verses about it:

6. "'The three measures, when used, are subject to death.
When they are linked to one another, not kept apart,
and used properly in outer, inner, and middle activities,
the person who knows does not waver.

7. "'Through Rig Veda verses, this world; through Yajur Veda formulas, the middle region;
through Sama Veda songs, the world the sages know.
With Om alone as their support, the person who knows reaches
what is peaceful, ageless, immortal, fearless, and highest.'"

Here ends the fifth question of the Prashna Upanishad.

### Question 6

1. Then Sukesha Bharadvaja asked him, "Sir, Hiranyanabha, a prince of Kosala, came to me and asked this question: 'Bharadvaja, do you know the Person with sixteen parts?' I told the young prince, 'I do not know him. If I knew him, why would I not tell you? Anyone who speaks falsely dries up, roots and all. So I must not tell a lie.' He got into his chariot without a word and went away. Now I ask you: where is that Person?"

2. He told him, "My friend, that Person from whom these sixteen parts arise is right here within the body.

3. "He thought, 'What is it whose leaving will mean that I have left? What is it whose staying will mean that I stay?'

4. "He created life-breath, and from life-breath, faith, space, wind, light, water, earth, the senses, and the mind. He created food, and from food, strength, discipline, sacred verses, deeds, worlds, and names in those worlds.

5. "Rivers flow toward the ocean. When they reach it, they disappear. Their names and forms are lost, and people simply call it the ocean. In the same way, these sixteen parts of the one who sees move toward the Person. When they reach him, they disappear. Their names and forms are lost, and people simply call it the Person. He becomes without parts and immortal. There is this verse about it:

6. "'The parts rest in him like spokes in the hub of a chariot wheel.
Know that Person who is to be known, so that death may not trouble you.'"

7. He told them, "This is all I know of this highest Brahman. There is nothing beyond it."

8. They honored him and said, "You are indeed our father. You carry us beyond ignorance to the farther shore."
Respect to the highest sages. Respect to the highest sages.

Here ends the sixth question of the Prashna Upanishad.

### Closing invocation

Om. Gods, may we hear what is good with our ears.
You who deserve worship, may we see what is good with our eyes.
May we praise you with steady limbs and bodies and live out the lifetime the gods have given us.
May Indra, whose fame is great, bring us well-being.
May Pushan, who knows everything, bring us well-being.
May Tarkshya, whose wheel-rim is undamaged, bring us well-being.
May Brihaspati bring us well-being.
Om. Peace, peace, peace.