Praśna Upanis̩ad belongs to the Atharva Veda. It is probably of Pippalāda śākhā, one of the most important śākhās of that Veda. This Upanis̩ad had derived its name from the six questions that were asked to the R̩is̩i Pippalāda, by six learned R̩is̩is who approached Pippalāda to learn more about the spiritual science or Brahma Vidyā. Pippalāda is mentioned in the Upanis̩ad as the name of the principal teacher. There are six chapters in this Upanis̩ad and each begins with a question. In fact, it would be appropriate to call this Upanis̩ad as the Upanis̩ad of six questions. The six Rishis aspiring to know the truth approached Pippalāda, the great seer. The six were: Sukesha, Shaibya Satyakām, Gar̄gya descending from Sun, Kaushalya son of Aswala, Bhārgava of Vidarbha, and Kabandhī Kātyāyana. The questions that they asked are as follows: the first question refers to the origin of the created beings, the second to the constituent of the human personality, the third to the origin and the nature of the Prān̩a, the fourth to the psychological aspects of the human personality, the fifth to the result of meditation on the word AUM and the sixth is about the metaphysical principle in man. Like the Taittirīya Upanis̩ad, it also takes the reader gradually from the gross to the subtle principles of life, revealing one by one all the folds of matter that enwrap the ātman. Moreover, in this Upanis̩ad alone one can find the mentioning of the creation of being- originating from matter and spirit. This Upanis̩ad removes various imposed layers that are imposed on ātman and attempts to find out the real nature of ātman. It defines the real nature of an individual self by identifying it with the supreme self. This identification of the individual self with the supreme self is possible by eradicating the imposed bodily identity. Let’s go into the context of questions and answers.
First Praśna: Source of All Being
The first question is asked by Kātyāyana Kabandhi to the sage Pippalāda that ‘Sir, whence, verily, are creatures here born?’ Or ‘Lord, how were all these creatures created?’ Then Pippalāda answered, “The lord of creation (Prajāpati), verily, was desirous of creatures. He performed austerity, he produced a pair, matter (rayi) and life (prāna), thinking that these two will make creatures for me in manifold ways.” Here, Prān̩a is an element of sense or the power that gives motion and the Rayi is nature that is able to hold and provide several forms. All components of micro and macro nature are called Rayi. In the modern language this can be known as life energy and the matter. The combination or harmony of these two originates from the creation (Sr̩s̩t̩i). These two elements give rise to each and everything in this universe. The discussion that followed is full of mysticism. It says that the creator created the sun and the moon; and male and female for procreation of living beings. The sun is identified with the life of creatures. The tangible source of breathing circulation is the sun on this earth. Being the light giver and motivator, the sun is in the garb of Prān̩a. The moon having lighted and motivated the light from the sun is the symbol of Rayi. He says, those who seek the soul (ātman) by austerity, chastity, faith and knowledge, they 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. It says that the devotees establish solidarity with the supreme soul by approaching their energy through persuasion of the sun, the source of motivating energy. Celibacy, austerity and obeisance etc are to be exercised in this process. It describes food as the eternal father because it provides energy and the ability to procreate. Food, verily is the lord of creation (Prājapati), from which these creatures are born. Food is the direct source of creatures. Now, all those who practice this rule of Prajāpati, they indeed possess that Brahma-world. Who possess austerity (tapas) and chastity (Brahmacarya) in them the truth is established. To them only belongs stainless Brahma-world, in whom there is no crookedness and falsehood, not trickery (māyā).
Second Praśna: Prān̩a Sustainer of Beings
In the second Praśna, the seeker is Bhārgava from Vidarbha. He asked a question about the number of powers that sustain a being and who, among these powers or factors, is the Supreme. The Bhārgava asked; “O Exalted one! How many gods maintain the created beings and which among them illuminates this body and who among them is most superior (to all others)?” It gives an insight about; how many gods support and nourish the living world. How many powers illuminate this world? And the most importantly; who among them is the mightiest one?
Pippalāda answered to him that the powers that support and illumine the beings are ether, air, fire, water, earth, speech, mind, sight and hearing. All of them sustain and support the material world and the physical body. Life breath or prān̩ a is supreme among them. Here Prān̩a is that living principle, the life energy which distinguishes living beings from the inanimate elements or non-living beings. Prān̩a is supreme because all the above elements become powerless when Prān̩a leaves them. They are no better than inanimate objects without Prān̩a. They just do not exist without the presence of Prān̩a. Prān̩a is the source of life in those elements. Indeed, the elements and other powers praised Prān̩a and said “This one burns like fire; this one is the sun; this one is the rain; this one is the air; this one is the earth, matter, deity; he is what is and what is not and what is immortal”
“Of all the gods, though, they are the strongest and the fiercest. Thou are the truth, the reality and the eternal wisdom of rishis.”
“You are seated in the speech, sight, and the bodies of beings’ life, or Prān̩a, do not forsake us.” “Guard us as mothers guard their children. Give us good luck, beauty and wisdom.”
These dialogues between Prān̩a and the elements as quoted by Pippalāda emphasize that the life principle or the life energy is the most important thing without which the world will come to a standstill.
Third Praśna: Prān̩a and Human Body
The third Praśna is asked by R̩is̩i Koshalya, the son of Ashwala. He enquired: “Lord, whence is this life born? How comes it in this body or how stand by self division? By what departs, or how maintain the outward and the inward spiritual?” In a simple and straightforward way Rishi was inclined to ask these questions: How is Prān̩ a born? How does it enter the body of the living beings? How does it distribute its power to the various limbs? How does it depart from the body? How does it maintain itself outside the body? How does it maintain inside?
Rishi Pippalāda said, however, these questions are difficult but given the student’s sincerity and past curiosities about Brahman, he replied; ātmāna esa prano jayate-Prana-born from the Self. Further, life (Prna) enters the body due to the actions of the mind. Now, according to him, just as a king directs his officers to look after designated regions, Prān̩a delegates various functions to subdivisions. Main breath is seated in the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. The medial breath (samana) is located in the middle of the body and the lower breath is located in the lower organs. The ātman is seated in the heart there are hundred and one nervous, and each nerve has a hundred branches and each branch has seventy-two thousand sub branches through which Prān̩a pulsates.
This description of the anatomy of the heart was given long before the Greek medical science could even think of the heart structure. This description of the cardiac structure and the various nād̩īs carrying blood back and forth are a remarkable example of the intuitive method of the R̩s̩is, a method that succeeds when science fails. While wrapping up his answer to the third question, Pippalāda says: by understanding Prān̩a, its relation with the living organism and its ability to empower the body and its bond with the supreme power can help attain immortality. According to him, he who knows the origin, the dissemination, the abode, and the fivefold distribution in the world and has himself the knowledge of Prān̩a, he attains immortality.
Fourth Praśna: Prān̩a and States of Consciousness
While, the first three Praśnas are about the relative, empirical manifested world and belong to the aparā vidyā, the fourth praśna deals with the transition from gross to the subtle world, Rayi to the Prān̩a, Matter to the Energy and aparā vidyā to the parā vidyā. This fourth question (further incorporates five questions within itself) was asked by the grandson of Sūrya, Gārgya. Gārgya enquired about the organ that goes to sleep, the organ that functions during sleep, experiencer of the dream, happiness and so on.
Pippalāda explains with an analogy of the sun’s rays. He states that when the sun sets, the rays get merged in the source of energy (Sun). In the same way, during the somnolent stage the senses merge into the Supreme Being. Then, in a poetic sentence Pippalāda explains: as birds wing towards the resting tree as nightfall, likewise do all the senses wing towards the supreme power. It is the Supreme Being in which all the senses rest in the state of sleep.
Then, about sleep, Pippalāda says: during sleep, the mind seems to see in a dreamy state all that it has seen during wakefulness. It pictures all that it has seen during wakefulness. It pictures all that it has heard, all that is felt, the lands it has seen and not seen, all that it has known and unknown. In fact, it pictures the whole universe. This can be called the first attempt to interpret dreams in the history of psychology. Pippalāda continues with the esoteric teaching. He explains, “the five elements, ten senses, mind, ego, the manifest and the sense objects like touch, taste, sight, smell, and sound, intelligence and what all it understands, the heart and what it feels, light and what it lights, and all that sustains it. All these are regulated by the Supreme Being.” He explains the Supreme Being is the seer; it touches everything; it tastes everything; it feels everything; it is the actor; it is the knower; it does not perish. He, who understands this shadow-less, colourless, bodiless, shining, imperishable Supreme Being, knows everything. Such a man is immortal. At last, he says, “O fair Son that knows the imperishable into whom the understanding self departs, and all the Gods, and the life-breaths and the elements, he knows the universe….!” The above sentence means he who knows the imperishable Prān̩a and the elements, knows everything. He knows all that is worth knowing.
Fifth Praśna: Meditation on Aum
The Satyakāma, son of Śibi, asked Pippalāda about the importance and result of meditating on the symbol of Om (Aum) till death. The R̩ s̩ i equated AUM with Brahma and answered, Oṁkāra is an imperishable word. It represents total Brahma. The wise man who meditates on the word, gains all the worlds. If a person meditates only on one letter, A, of the syllabi AUM, he attains great ethical progress. He experiences great bliss. He is escorted by the hymns of the Rig Veda. By uttering two letters, AU, of the syllabi AUM one becomes exalted, graced by the hymns of Yajur Veda and goes to heaven. But he returns. But he who meditates on all the three letters (AUM) as a single entity goes to the highest realm of self-knowledge. He gets liberated from all suffering, sin and fears. He reaches to the world of Brahman. He conducts himself well in the material and spiritual actions. The same theme is found in the Māndukya Upanis̩ ad where the significance of the word OM is given importance.
Sixth Praśna: Existence of Purus̩a
The sage Sukeśa of the clan of Bharadvāja asked the teacher (Pippalāda) regarding the existence of the Purus̩ a of sixteen parts. Pippalāda replied: “O fair son, even here is that Being, in the inner body of every creature, from which arise the sixteen parts.” The Supreme Being is inside the body of every creature. The creator had pondered when he created the world. He provided for something which would abide in the body when he is there and leave it when he is not there. Then, he created life breath, the air, light and water, earth, the senses, the mind, food, virility and vitality and everything came into being. Just as rivers that flow meet the ocean and merge into it and lose their identity, name and form (nāma-rūpa) likewise the individual being loses his identity in the universal spirit. The supreme spirit is like the nave of a wheel to which all the spokes are attached. Once, one knows about the Supreme Being then one merges into the Supreme Being. From Supreme Being everything is created. Further, it is the Supreme Being to which everything returns. That is the spirit which helps us to cross over from ignorance to knowledge.
Ignorance is the wrong identification of our self with our body and knowledge is the identification of our self with the Supreme Being. The nature of this Supreme Being is the one whole without any parts. The multiple nature of an individual self is an ignorance and māyā. The multiple individual self when merged into the Supreme Being, it becomes one unity whole without any parts. The Upanis̩ad ends up with a call, “Know the Self, the worthy one to be known. Beyond this Purus̩a, the supreme, there is no other thing.”
Let Us Sum Up
To conclude, the responses to the six questions which were given by the sage are about creation of universe and methodology of realization; prime supports of life and Prān̩a; origin and destination of mortal life etc. Praśna Upanis̩ad begins with the question of creation or origin of the creatures of this universe both living and non living and ends with the notion of supreme within which liberation lies. It is Supreme Being with which one identifies one self. According to Praśna Upanis̩ad, Prān̩a distinguishes the living being from the non-living being. The real nature of the Prān̩a is pure consciousness, self-shining, self proved and always the same. This nature of living being is initially there at the time of birth. It is the essential nature of being. It is searching life which is veiled by ignorance and which is always there. Here, the real nature of being is finding that is already there. Liberation lies in establishing identity with the Supreme Being. Here, after the establishment of identity of oneself with the Supreme Being, one merges into the Supreme Being and becomes Supreme Being. The Supreme Being is one without second and every being of this world merged within him after liberation.
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