Question 6
Original Sanskrit
1 अथ हैनं सुकेशा भारद्वाजः पप्रच्छ ।भगवन्हिरण्यनाभःकौसल्यो राजपुत्रो मामुपेत्यैतं प्रश्नमपृच्छत ।षोडशकलंभारद्वाज पुरुषं वेत्थ ।तमहं कुमारम्ब्रुवं नाहमिमंवेद ।यध्यहमिममवेदिषं कथं ते नावक्ष्यमिति ।समूलो वाएष परिशुष्यति योऽनृतमभिवदति तस्मान्नार्हम्यनृतं वक्तुम् ।स तूष्णीं रथमारुह्य प्रवव्राज ।तं त्वा पृच्छामि क्वासौपुरुष इति
2 तस्मै स होवाच ।इहैइवान्तःशरीरे सोभ्य स पुरुषोयस्मिन्नताः षोडशकलाः प्रभवन्तीति
3 स ईक्षाचक्रे ।कस्मिन्नहमुत्क्रान्त उत्क्रान्तो भविष्यामिकस्मिन्वा प्रतिष्टिते प्रतिष्टस्यामीति
4 स प्राणमसृजत प्राणाच्छ्रद्धां खं वायुर्ज्योतिरापःपृथिवीन्द्रियं मनः ।अन्नमन्नाद्वीर्यं तपो मन्त्राः कर्मलोकालोकेषु च नाम च
5 स यथेमा नध्यः स्यन्दमानाः समुद्रायणाः समुद्रंप्राप्यास्तंगच्छन्ति भिध्येते तासां नामरुपे समुद्र इत्येवं प्रोच्यते ।एवमेवास्य परिद्रष्टुरिमाः षोडशकलाः पुरुषायणाःपुरुषंप्राप्यास्तं गच्छन्ति भिध्येते चासां नामरुपे पुरुष इत्येवंप्रोच्यते 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 ।नातःपरमस्तीति
8 ते तमर्चयन्तस्त्वं हि नः पिता योऽस्माकमविध्यायाःपरं परं तारयसीति ।नमः परमऋषिभ्यो नमःपरमऋषिभ्यः
इति प्रश्नोपनिषदि षष्ठः प्रश्नः ॥
Musean translation
Machine-assisted translation directly from Sanskrit.
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.
Plain English translation
Independent machine-assisted translation from Sanskrit.
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.
About this section
Question 6 is part of Prashna Upanishad by Unknown. This page sets the Sanskrit original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 7 of 8 in the work, which is kept in the Hindu tradition.
Open the work page for the full contents, every edition, and the download links, or go back to Explore to browse other complete works in the Hindu tradition. The reader keeps your place when you are signed in and lets you compare the original with each translation, one edition at a time.